Fallen
by 13AnimePrincess13
Summary: Sakura is traveling around, not knowing a ton about herself, when she comes across Konoha! What happens when she finds out she's from Konoha? And how was her family really killed? Why the heck can't she even remember! Full summary inside
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Alright, so what happens is Sakura sort of doesn't know who she is, and only remembers one thing from the first eight years of her life. Ever since then, she wondered around. One day, when she's thirteen, she comes to Konoha and is finds out a bit about herself! She meets Naruto, Sasuke, and the rest too. What'll happen? And why the heck can't she remember anything? And, what's this? A love triangle?! Ah, god, things are complicated enough! NarutoxSakuraxSasuke

Fallen

Chapter 1: Welcome Home

I remember. Even though it is already eight years ago, I still remember. The funny thing is it's the only thing that I can remember in the first eight years of my life. My first memory was from when I was five.

I had a mom, a dad, and a brother who was two years older. I understand that much. I think that we had a simple life. My mom was wearing an outfit that only ninja would wear, a uniform and a weird mask. The same went for my dad. I don't know what their faces were like, but my mom's hair was pink, and my dad's was dark red. I probably got my freakishly weird hair color from her.

I was asking my mom to tell me a story.

"Mommy!" I said in a whiney voice. "Mommy, tell me that story again. Please?"

"Geez, Sakura!" came the voice behind the mask. "I just told you yesterday."

"Well, I want to hear it again!" I'd said stubbornly, putting my tiny hands on my hips.

She sighed and I knew that I'd won. "Fine," she said. "Listen closely. Long ago, nine demons existed, walking around the place and leaving death and destruction behind them. Even though hundreds of people and armies tried, they weren't able to overpower a single one. The demons were just too strong. But one day someone found out a way to suppress them; he sealed one of the demons into his own wife. The other demons were quickly sealed into others, and people began to start living peacefully at long last. Everyone but the demons inside of them that is, or the Jinchuuriki. No one forgot what it was like when the demons were at large; no one could forget what they had done to them. They mistrusted those people, and that mistrust turned into hate. They were treated as if they were animals, or monsters. As if they weren't even human," she said bitterly.

"Why?" I asked her. "Those people weren't the ones who killed and hurt people. So why would they treat them like that?"

"Weakness," she answered me. "By treating their own fellow humans like that, in the end, those people were the monsters."

"What happens when the Jinchuuriki die?" I wondered out loud.

"They're sealed into someone else," she told me.

"Have you ever met one?"

"No," she said. "Never."

I stopped in my tracks on the dirt path I was walking on.

"It's been eight years, huh? Since I was five then, and I'm thirteen now, it's been eight years," I said to myself. I wasn't sure how, but I'm a ninja. I've been one since my first memory after I was five. It was five years ago.

I'd waken up on a really big branch at the top of a tree, and all I had was a necklace with a circular red-ring crest, my clothes (obviously) and a bag full of ninja supplies.

Not knowing where to go home to, I just started traveling. It was so strange. When I was attacked, I'd be able to fend them off without much effort, even though the attackers were a lot bigger than me.

I was able to heal injuries with chakra, a word I somehow remember from long ago. I could feed and take care of myself fine. I'd lived and grown up, healthier than most people.

Even so, I was always lonely. I didn't make any friends. Wild animals liked me for some reason. I could play with them and smile at them, and even pet them. But I couldn't really have a conversation with one. Not a real conversation, where someone can talk back to you.

Right now, I had no idea where I was.

**Don't tell me you got us lost? **A voice in my head asked me, sounding irritated.

_Fine, I won't tell you_, I thought back.

**Don't give me that crap, Sakura! **The yelled at me angrily. **I'm you! I know what's going on! **

_Then why ask, Inner me? _

**Inner me: Because I can! **

_Whatever,_ I replied. _You know, I still don't get why you can think for yourself, if you_ _really are me. I mean what the heck? Does that mean I have two consciousnesses in one body or something?_

**Inner me: Because I'm awesome that way!**

_You sound like such a dork._

**Inner me: I dare you to say that again!**

_You should know better than to do that_, I thought. _I never turn down a dare._

**Inner me: …humph!**

_Look, just be quiet for a second. Don't you think it's kind of weird that nobody's around?_

**Inner me: What the heck? You tell me to be quiet then you ask me a question. Make up your mind!**

_Just answer the question! _

Inner me became more serious.

**Probably…we're near **_**that**_** place.**

_What place?_ I asked curiously. I swear, how could she know something I don't if we're the same person? It was so screwed up.

**Inner me: Sakura. Doesn't this place seem familiar to you? **

I paused and looked around, paying attention to my surroundings more closely. _Now t hat you mention it…, yeah._

**Inner me: alright, Sakura. Just keep on walking down this path. Try not to draw any attention to yourself; be casual. **

I nodded, and walked. Everything did seem familiar. But I don't remember ever being here. _Then again, there are a lot of things that I don't remember, _I thought.

After a while, I stopped. I was standing in front of a big gate. There was a sign next to it that said: Konoha; the Village of the Hidden Leaf.

I walked up to the gates. Then I walked in.

"Hello," said a male voice on my left. "Welcome to Konoha." I looked at the man, seeing a guy with a green vest and a bandage across his nose. "Is this your first time here?" he asked.

I nodded.

"Well, come over here, then. I need you to sign this piece of paper. It let's us know who's coming in and out of Konoha, you know," he said apologetically. I walked over to him. He handed me a clip board, with a bunch of lines under the words Name, then Original Village, then Ninja, then Age/Birthday and last Time In/Out.

"Um…so, I'm supposed to fill this out?" I asked. He nodded. "But, I can't…," I told him a bit helplessly.

"Why?" he asked me, sounding more suspicious.

"I don't know a lot of these…," I said, blushing. I must've sounded so stupid, not knowing my own home village or your own birthday. I knew how old I was only because I knew I was five during my first memory, and the next one was from when I was eight.

"I see," he said distrustfully. "Well, fill out what you can. Then we'll decide whether or not we need to involve the ANBU in it.

I did as I was told. First I wrote Sakura. I didn't know my last name, so my first name would have to do. I skipped Original Village and went on to Ninja, where I put yes. For Age I put thirteen, and I put the date and time after asking bandage boy.

When I gave it back to him, he looked over it. "You forgot to put your last name, and your birthday. And you didn't write the Original Village, either."

"I didn't forget," I told him. "I just don't know what they are." His eyes widened a bit, and then narrowed suspiciously.

"Okay, then. I guess I do need to get the ANBU. They won't hurt you unless they have to, but they're going to have to do some digging, so it'll probably take a while," he told me. I wondered how the heck such a normal day could end up like this in five minutes flat.

These guys in weird, but familiar masks came. They were like the ones that mom and dad had, but all of them were different. _Those masks…? Why?_

After a chat with bandage boy, the masked dudes took my hand and began to walk me somewhere. I suddenly found myself in the arms of this dude when he jumped to the highest window of a huge building.

"Lady Tsunade," he said. "This girl wants to come into the village, but she claims to have no idea what her birthday, last name, and original village are. She's a ninja, though."

Tsunade looked up at him. "I see," she said. "Bring her in." They brought me into her office. "For starters, who are you?" she asked.

"Sakura," I told her. "Why don't you know your last name or any of the other things Yamato said you didn't?" she asked me. "I don't know," I told her. "My earliest memory is from when I was five. But it's only one memory. The next one happens eight years later. I'm on a tree, alone, in a forest. With this," I said, pulling out my necklace from under my shirt.

Her eyes widened. "That's…the Haruno crest," she said. "Then…Shizune!" she called. A young woman at her left said "Yes?" "Look up a file for Sakura Haruno. Hurry up!" Tsunade said.

Was that my name? Was I Sakura Haruno?

Shizune came back with a file in hand, and handed it to Tsunade. Tsunade took it and opened it. "It says," Tsunade said. "That Sakura Haruno went missing when the most skilled family in the Haruno clan was murdered." _Murdered?! _"Hers was the only body out of the four that couldn't be found," she said. "Her description says she has pink hair, emerald eyes, and considerable talent in the art of the ninja. Well, then. That's settled. Welcome back home, Sakura Haruno!" she said.

_Eh?! _


	2. Chapter 2

* * *

A/N: Alright, here's the second chapter!

Chapter 2:

_What the heck?!_ I thought feeling bewildered.

**Inner me: *Sigh* Don't you get it yet? You're home Sakura. We're home.**

"I'm back," I said. "I think."

"We'll have Yamato take you to your house later. But for now, I need to ask you something," Tsunade informed me.

"I have a house?" I asked her, surprised.

"Yes, you do. It's the ones that your parents raised you in. Nobody bought it, so it still belongs to your family," she told me. "But more importantly, my question. I know that you're a ninja. And I know that you're skilled, at least I know that you were when you were living here. Would you like to join a team? That way, you'd be part of a group of four people. You will get missions of varying levels of difficulty and be paid for them, training, everything. How about it?" she finished.

I hesitated. I wanted to, really wanted tom but I wasn't sure if it was a good idea. There could be some problems. Actually, I could think of a lot of problems.

_Inner me: Sakura. Do it._

_But…what if-_

**Inner me: Sakura. You'll regret it if you don't. Trust me. Don't you want to make some friends?**

_I do have-_

**Inner me: Some **_**human**_** friends?  
**I sighed mentally. _You know me too well._

"I'd like that. But, if it's okay, I have a request," I said.

"Yes?" Tsunade prompted.

"Would it be okay if I keep my identity a secret? Like, could I use a fake name?" I asked her.

Tsunade seemed surprised. "Why?"

"Well," I said. "I'm assuming that there will be some people in this village who know me, if I really did live hear before. So they'd be kind of likely to remember what I was like, right? Well, I want them to know me for the person I am today, not whoever I used to be. I mean, I could've been the most horrible, bratty kid in the universe, couldn't I? So I want them to like me for who I am now." I blushed, feeling embarrassed at giving such a passionate speech.

Tsunade looked at me with shock at first. I tensed up, but relaxed again when she smiled. "As expected of a Haruno," she commented. "I understand. I'll give you a new identity and an excuse for suddenly turning up out of nowhere. But in return, I want you to become my apprentice. I need someone with talent and brains, and you've got both. What do you say?"

I froze, and stared. When I noticed that my mouth was hanging open, I shut it. It was unbelievable. She was obviously the top person around. Was she serious?! "Of course, I'd love to!" I said happily.

Tsunade smiled. "Alright," she said. "Then, I'll set you up with one of the teams. Shizune," Tsunade said.

"Yes, Tsunade-sama?" replied Shizune.

"Get me the files on the teams along with files on their members, now!" Tsunade ordered. Shizune bowed and left the room. It was silent for a few minutes. "I'm sure that this must be hard, Sakura," Tsunade said gently. "I mean, everything must've been happening so quickly."

I nodded. Yep. My whole life changed in the time span of less than two hours (according to Tsunade's grandfather clock).

But so far, it hadn't been all that bad. Like I've said, living on the road is really fun, but it's also lonely. And you feel like you don't have a true home, like there isn't a place to return to. And I'd thought that was the way it was. I thought I was a homeless nobody. But now I was more than Sakura; I was Sakura _Haruno_. It felt good.

Shizune came in, holding a three (super thick) files. Tsunade took them and skimmed through them. She shook her head at the first, muttering something. The same went for number two. But I guess the third time really was a charm.

"I've got your team," said Tsunade. "Team 7 had a member move out of the village, Sai. So now they're one member short. You'll go in perfectly. Naruto will be ecstatic to have such a pretty girl as a team mate," she said the last sentence rolling her eyes but chuckling. "Good luck, though. They're the toughest team out of the newest ones, even if Naruto makes it look just plain weird," she shook her head. "They'll probably expect a lot out of you, Sakura. But I'm sure you can handle it, though."

I smiled. No pressure or anything.

"Well, I'll send a message to Kakashi today. So, what do you want? For your fake identity, I mean," she added at my confused expression.

"Um…I'll be Saori. Saori Aero," I decided.

**Inner me: Nice name.**

_Thanks._

"Okay," Tsunade wrote something down on a piece of paper. "What are your ninja skills?" she asked.

And so she gave me an interview, taking basic information about myself and adding fake info here and there. "Done," she said about three hours later. She took a picture of me with a digital camera, surprising me. "Shizune, convert this into three copies, and add the picture. Give two to me; I'll give one to Kakashi and keep one for the records. When you've got them finished, send one to Sakura. She probably won't remember all of the fake information, so she'll need to study it."

Inner me: Study yourself, huh? That's a first.

_There's been a lot of firsts today, I thought tiredly. _

**Inner me: True. **

"You must be tired. Alright, I'll send you a message for our first training session. I won't be able to see much of you until then," she said apologetically. "Yamato will take you home."

The ANBU guy appeared after being gone to give us privacy, right on cue. "Yes, Lady Tsunade," he said. "This way, Aero-san," he said to me.

**Inner me: The slime ball was eavesdropping the whole time! Damn him!**

Ignoring Inner me, I fallowed him to the window. We both got onto the roof, and he set off. After a few minutes of silent roof-jumping, I couldn't stand it. "So, is Konoha a nice village?" I asked conversationally.

"Yes, it is," he answered through his weird mask.

When the guy kept quiet (if I didn't know any better, I'd say he was mute) I spoke again. "So, where can I get supplies?" I asked, as my stomach growled.

**Inner me: Damn it, Sakura! Hurry up and find us some food!**

_We need to go home first, I thought back._

**Inner me: …home, huh? It's nice to say that again, isn't it?**

_Yeah,_ I thought. Yamato's voice interrupted our 'conversation'. "Food markets can be found all over. Ninja supply shops are scattered all throughout the village, for convenience. Clothes shops are normally in the more crowded areas. Furniture is, too. Is there anything else?"

"Um, yeah," I said. "Where are the training grounds?"

"You'll know once you meet your team," he answered.

"When will that be?"

"It should be tomorrow, around mid-day or so. Tsunade will let you know," he said.

"…She's a very nice person, isn't she?" I asked. "She's a bit intimidating, but she seems nice."

Yamato was quiet for a few seconds. "…yes," he finally said. "Hokage-sama is a very kind person." He stopped. I stopped, too. "We're here," he said. I looked at the building. It was…big. Well, it wasn't big, big. But it was a lot bigger than the memory had me thinking. It was white, and had the Haruno family crest over the door.

"Um, thank you," I said. Yamato held out his hand, indicating he had something to give me. I held mine out, too, and I felt something cold and hard land in it with a soft clink. They were keys.

"Thank you," I said again, and I opened the door to my house. My house. I was home.

A/N: Alright, that's it for this chapter! So how'd you like it? Alright, so it did seem kind of Yamato/Sakura-ish, but don't worry. I'm probably not going to use him anymore. The main love triangle is still NarutoxSakuraxSasuke! But you'll have to wait for her to meet them before anything else happens, okay? Please review!


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Here's chapter 3!

Chapter 3: Home, sweet home and a bag of potato chips.

I had walked into my house.

**Inner me:**_** Our **_**house!**

_Same thing, _I thought back.

**Inner me: Hmph!**

I was in a living room. It was nice, I guess. It had a comfortable looking couch sitting in front of a wide-screen TV and a coffee table. But it was so _dusty_! I swear there must've been over an inch of dust on the coffee table. Obviously, no one had messed with this room when the rest had…. I didn't finish the thought. I didn't want to think about it.

I walked into the next room, seeing an equally dusty kitchen. Soon, I'd looked through the whole house. There were photos here and there, and I was in them.

And I was with _them_. I was with my family. It was the first time I'd seen their faces. I knew that I'd had a brother, but I'd never seen him. I knew the colors of my parent's hair, but that was it, the end. I focused on myself first, to try and get an idea of when it was taken. My hair was longer, and my face more round. I looked like I was somewhere from four to six.

Next I looked at my brother. He had ruby red hair, like my dad had in my memory. He had emerald eyes, though, like me. His skin was surprisingly not freckled, unlike most red-heads. Instead it was tan, as if he spent most of his time outside. He was cute, young looking. He had a huge smile lighting up his face, and his arm was around me. I smiled. He didn't seem bad at all.

_Stop it! _(A/N: You might have guessed, but since it's underlined, it's not Sakura's thoughts.)

I spun around. I'd heard a voice, a young boy's voice somewhere, screaming. It was shaking, like he was crying.

_Leave them alone!_ There it was again! Where was it coming from?!

**Inner me: It's coming from you.**

_What? I'm not talking._

**Inner me: No, you're not talking. You're remembering. Keep on looking at the picture. Maybe you'll remember something about the past.**

_You're talking like it's not your past, or like you already know it._

**Inner me: …It is my past.**

_Wait…do you know what happened? Do you still remember the things I don't?!_

**Inner me: No.**

_Oh_, I thought, feeling disappointed. _Okay._

**Inner me: Keep looking.**

I looked back at the picture. Was that his voice that I was remembering? Was that my brother's voice?

I looked at him. He looked so happy.

I let my eyes focus on the next person: my dad. He looked like a big version of my brother, all grown up. His eyes were the same green color, twinkling brightly. His hair was shiny and red, too, although it looked a lot sloppier than my brother's did. He was grinning, too, except his was more crooked than my brother's. He looked tall, proud.

_A person who might've been the best dad in the world_, I thought.

The last person I looked at was my mother. She had pink hair, like me. Her eyes were hazel, unlike the rest of ours. She was a very pretty person. Everything about her was so beautiful, and elegant. Especially that smile. It was like her son's, my brother's. Huge and happy, it lit her up like a light bulb.

_Don't do it! Leave them alone!_ A woman's voice shrieked, panicked inside my head. Was it her?

_Please! Please stop! I'll do anything!_ She began to sob.

_Why do I have to hear this? I don't want to._

**Inner me: Why? Because you need to know. You've got to know what they sounded like when they were dying. **

_Why?! And what's with you all of a sudden? You're not acting like normal anymore. It's like you know something I don't. Like you aren't me._

**Inner me: I am you.**

_I know that, but-_

**Inner me: If you can't listen to them dying, then you won't remember them as they were when they were alive, either. **

I bit my lip. I wanted to remember. But I didn't want to remember them dying.

…_Fine_, I thought.

**Inner me: Alright then, Sakura! All you have to do is pay attention if and when you get any flashbacks. That's all. If you don't let yourself remember, you'll be stuck not knowing for the rest of your life.**

_For the rest of_ our _life, you mean. You die when I die too, remember?_

**Inner me: Um, yeah. Of course! That's obvious.**

_Why do you sound so unsure? It's suspicious,_ I told her teasingly.

Soon everything was back to normal. Inner me became fiery again, and we fought playfully like normal.

When I got even hungrier I went to the kitchen and looked for some food. I looked around and found some, but…-

**Inner me: Ugh! What the hell _is_ that?!**

I shook my head, looking at the inside of the bag labeled Potato Chips. They didn't really look a ton like potato chips to me, though.

_It's probably decomposing,_ I replied.

**Inner me: **_**Probably?**_

_Yeah_, I looked at it again and dropped the bag. _Oh my god! I think it just_ moved!

**Inner me: What?! Sakura, hurry and **_**burn**_** that thing!**

_I'm way ahead of you!_

I picked up the bag and rushed outside. I got some sticks, and went back inside. I found a fireplace in the living room and put the sticks in. Then I tossed the bag on top of it and set it on fire.

I backed up against the wall as much as I could when I heard a shriek of pain come from it.  
**Inner me: I don't even want to **_**know**_** what that was.**

I went upstairs later, hungry and tired, and found my bedroom. I flopped onto it and fell asleep. My last thoughts that day were_ I'm never looking into that cupboard again._

The next morning, I woke up when I heard a tapping on my window. A hawk was there, with a scroll tied to its back. I opened the window and it flew onto my shoulder.

_This is so cool!_ I thought happily. _I feel just like Harry Potter_.

**Inner me: Harry Potter wasn't a pink haired ninja.**

_Oh, shut up._

I untied the scroll and the hawk took off. I unraveled it and out fell a sheet of paper. I picked it up. It was my alias file, along with my picture.

**Inner me: Haha! You look so stupid! You were blinking!**

I ignored Inner me and read the message on the scroll.

Dear Saori Aero.

This has your file in it.

**Inner me: Duh. **

I kept on reading.

Kakashi, your team's captain, said he'd be glad to have you as his student. As you've requested, your true identity is being kept a secret from him and the rest of the village, besides me, the ANBU, and Tsunade-sama. He says that he'll meet you at the bridge at noon today. He also asks you to be on time. I'll send a map with you. Bring your ninja equipment, okay?

-Shizune

I looked for the map, and found it under my file. I checked a clock I'd seen yesterday in the living room.

_Oh my god! We're going to be late!_

I dropped the scroll, without reading the P.S.

P.S.: You don't need to rush, though. Kakashi's _always_ late.

I quickly took a shower, and changed. Then I grabbed the map and my ninja equipment and dashed away. I was able to find my way around without too much trouble, although I got yelled at by some shop owners when I jumped on their roofs to go quicker.

I finally made it. Two people were there. All I could see was their hair colors.

One had dark, blue-ish black hair, spiked at the back like a rooster butt. The other had a mess of blond hair. The blond didn't seem to notice when I'd come by, seeing as he was yelling at the black haired. But the black-haired guy did notice, and he turned to me, taking out a kunai.

"Who are you?" he asked in a cool, dark voice. It sent shivers down my spine-he was scary!

"What the hell are you saying, Sasuke?! How could you forget the name of your future Hokage?!" said the blond, still not noticing me.

"Shut up, you dobe," said rooster butt. "I just asked you were pinky," he said to me, not raising his voice or changing his voice at all. I swear, you'd think he was bored.

**Inner me: P-pinky?! **

She sounded murderous.

**Inner me: No one, _NO ONE_, CALLS US PINKY!!!!!!!!!!**

A/N: that's the end of this chapter! Lol, what will poor Sasuke do now that he's on Inner Sakura's bad side?! Find out next chapter!^^


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Here's chapter four! Please review and stuff!

Fallen

Chapter 4:

**Inner me: No one, **_**NO ONE**_**, CALLS US PINKY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**

When she was that mad, she was sometimes able to control my body. When she did, it was never pretty. Today, she did it again. She made me say those stupid words.

Blondie looked at me, finally realizing I was there. He grinned. "Hey! You must be the new member!" he said excitedly. "Wow…," he said, after looking at me closer. He blushed a little.

I blushed a lot. Inner me calmed down.

**Inner me: You know, I'm really liking this kid.**

"You guys are Team 7, right?" I asked him. He nodded. "Then, yeah," I said. "I'm your new team member, Sak-Saori Aero." I cursed myself for nearly blowing my cover.

"Nice to meet you, Saori-chan!" he said happily. His grin got even broader, and I couldn't help but smile back. He just had this 'Happy Aura' around him that was affecting me, too, like a perfume. "I'm Naruto Uzumaki, the future Hokage! That grumpy kid over there is Sasuke Uchiha. Just ignore what he says, if he says anything. He's not nice to anyone. But," Naruto added. "He's still my best friend."

I smiled. "That's so sweet," I said. Naruto scratched the back of his neck. He had blue eyes (wonderful, adorable, innocent, and determined at the same time), and was wearing a fore-head protector. Naruto was wearing an orange jumpsuit, too. He was really cute.

Sasuke was a pretty boy; anyone could see that at first look. But his personality was enough to keep half a hormone from affecting me. His entrancing onyx eyes, the attractive way his hair naturally flopped on the sides of his face, his pale (but not too pale) skin, even his clothes…yeah. Not even half a hormone.

"So, where's Kakashi-sensei?" I asked.

Naruto laughed. "Kakashi-sensei? He's probably 'lost on the road of life' or 'helping an old lady home'. Don't worry about him. He's always late."

"Oh," I said. "Then why did he ask me to be on time?"

Naruto shrugged. "I don't know. I guess that's just what all adults do. Hey, Saori-chan? Do you like ramen?"

My mind went blank. _Ramen? What's ramen?_

"Um, I don't know what that is," I admitted. Naruto fell to the ground and got back up again, looking dirty and shocked.

"You don't? Come on, let's go get some right now!" he grabbed my arm and started pulling me away from the sight.

"But what if we're late?" I asked. Naruto snorted.

"That guy always takes hours. There's no way we won't make it in time for practice," he said. And so, he dragged me to who know where.

It turned out that ramen was food. Naruto treated me to a giant bowl of it, and bought himself an even bigger bowl. I snapped my chopsticks in two and said "Itadukimasu!" then gently ate a steaming noodle. "Oh my god," I said. "This is _good_!"

Naruto grinned. "Of course it is! It's ramen!" and he finished the rest of his in about five seconds. I finished mine a lot slower, taking half an hour.

"Let's go back," I said, feeling happy and cheerful. Ramen does that to a person. Naruto nodded and helped me find my way back. He was right; Kakashi still wasn't there.

"Sasuke!" said Naruto braggingly. "I just took Saori-chan on a date! In your face!" I blushed. _Since when was it a date?_

**Inner me: Since the beginning.**

_Really? I didn't know._

I heard the sound of a 'poof' behind me, and I turned around in time to see a man with a mask and a shock of silver hair despite his young looks.

**Inner me: So that's Kakashi, huh?**

_Looks like it._

"You're late!" said Naruto to his sensei.

"Sorry. I met this old lady on the street and-"

"Save it," said Naruto. "Look! Saori-chan's here!" he said, pointing to me happily. "And I took her on a date for ramen while you were gone!"

"Congratulations, Naruto," said Kakashi, smiling beneath his mask. "Nice to meet you, Saori," he added, looking at me. "Tsunade told me about the circumstances. I'm sorry about-"

"Thank you for letting me on this team, Kakashi-sensei," I interrupted before he could let slip I was an orphan. He didn't know I had amnesia, but Tsunade said it would be hard to pretend that I had parents, so she just told the truth and said they were dead, although not how they died.

"By the way, Saori," said Kakashi, looking at my neck. "I'm sorry, but you'll have to take that necklace off during practice," he said. My hand instinctively reached for the chain with the Haruno crest on it, hidden safely under my shirt.

"I can't," I said. "I'm sorry, but I can't do that."

"…Very well, then. But let me warn you that that will be an easy target for enemies to kill you with," he said. I knew that. But I've never taken it off except for when I took a shower. I nodded.

"We'll start off by testing your abilities, Saori," Kakashi told me. "That way, we'll know your basic abilities, so we can work on your weak spots." I nodded again.

"What do we do, Kakashi?" asked Naruto.

"You, Sasuke, and I are going to take turns fighting her. There aren't any rules except to stop when I say so. Naruto can go first," he said.

"Don't worry, Saori-chan! I won't hurt you!" Naruto said as he took his ready position. I took mine, too. I was worried. I didn't know what any of their abilities were, but Tsunade had said they were strong….

"Go!" said Kakashi.

Naruto took out a shuriken and threw it at me. I caught it in my hand, without moving my body, so as not to leave an opening in my defense. Naruto's eyes widened. Sasuke said "Hn." Kakashi said put a hand on his chin.

Naruto recovered and took out a kunai, and charged. He did a hand sign, and two shadow clones appeared.

**Inner me: He's pretty good, knowing how to make shadow clones.**

_Yeah._

He swung at me with the kunai hand, and I jumped backwards. I didn't want to show any of my moves until forced, so I had something up my sleeve to use.

On of the Naruto's came charging at me. Another was running behind me, and the third was in the air above me. I jumped to the left effortlessly. Naruto gave a curse of frustration, and three kunai came shooting at me.

I caught them all with one hand. "Too easy," I said. I threw them back at their owners, making two disappear. The last one dodged and came running at me, a big sphere of chakra whirling around in one hand.

**Inner me: Look out!**

I dodged the hand with the ball smoothly and gave Naruto a punch in the gut. He fell to the ground, clutching his injured stomach. Kakashi said "Stop!" and I stopped.

"My turn," he said. Kakashi stepped in front of Naruto. "You're good," he said quietly.

"Thanks," I said, smiling happily.

"Maybe I'll get to use _that_," Kakashi said, more to himself than to me. "Go!"

I didn't move. Charging in wasn't my style. Kakashi didn't move, either. We just stood there looking at one another. Finally, Kakashi took out a kunai and threw it at my foot. I lifted it lazily, and picked it up with my big toe (I was wearing ninja sandals), and tossed it up into my hand, twirling it around my index finger.

Kakashi suddenly disappeared in a puff of smoke. _He wasn't anywhere above ground, so that means_-"BELOW!" I shouted, and jumped into the air, avoiding a hand grabbing for my foot.

A/N: See you next chapter!


	5. Chapter 5

Fallen

Chapter 5:

Kakashi came out of the ground, brushing dirt off of his sleeves like it was nothing. "Like I said before, you're good," he said.

"And like _I_ said before, thanks," I replied.

Kakashi suddenly started making hand signs, faster than I could see them.

**Inner me: Hey! Sakura! You need to get us out of here, fast!**

_Right,_ I thought back.

Water began surrounding Kakashi in a big puddle. Then, suddenly it wasn't a puddle anymore. It was a serpent made out of water, looking dangerous with its blank H2O eyes focused on me.

**Inner me: Us!**

_Oh, shut up._

I jumped backwards, into a nearby tree. That thing was huge.

**Inner me: So that Hokage lady wasn't kidding when she said these guys were tough. Their captain is amazing!** **It starts to make me wonder what he meant when he said that he might get to use **_**that**_**….**

_Oh, come on. You were wondering from the start, weren't you?_

**Inner me: Fine, you caught me. But never underestimate even the weakest looking opponents.**

_Yeah_, I thought in agreement. _And this guy doesn't look weak_ at all.

**Inner me: Sakura!**

_What?_

I'd been concentrating so much on Inner me that I'd let my attention of everything else slip. Kakashi seemed to have noticed, because that serpent-whatever thingy was moving toward me. Fast.

**Inner me: **_**Us!**_

_Oh, shut the heck up!_

I barely managed to dodge the head, but the tail came flying at me and sent me crashing into a tree, soaking wet. It hurt like crap. I felt some blood going down my back. It was warm, but it still made me shiver.

I got up, and put my right hand on the wound, and threw a kunai at Kakashi to distract him. I healed it up, and nobody noticed.

**Inner me: Ah! That's better.**

Kakashi knocked the kunai away with his own, and it came hurtling back at me. I caught it with my bare hand and didn't get a scratch. I held it at the ready and focused on Mr. H2O as well as Kakashi.

**Inner me: Sakura, don't you think we should use **_**that**_**?**

No, I answered. Naruto's still hurt, and he won't be able to get out of the way if it goes towards him.

**Inner me: Fine….**

_Sorry, but it's for the best. I mean, it's our fault that he's hurt, right_?

**Inner** **me: How come you only say us or our when it involves something bad?**

Kakashi made his serpent attack again. I decided to switch to offensive; defense wasn't doing me much good. I took out a kunai and attached an exploding tag to it. I threw it at water dude and he exploded.

"That won't do any good," said Kakashi to me. As water dude began to reform.

Inner me: Duh! That was just a distraction!

Kakashi hadn't noticed that while he was using up his chakra to make water dude come back together, I'd given him a little surprise present. Although it would be at least a minute until he noticed.

Meanwhile, water dude had gotten his tail and most of his body back.

**Inner me: Twenty more seconds! Oh, I can't wait to see the look on his face when-**

_Shush!_

**Inner me: Aw, is wittle Sakura getting guiwty? **

The baby voice was really pissing me off.

Inner me continued on.

**Inner me: Come on! We're going to heal him afterwards, right?**

_Look_, I thought back, still keeping my eyes on water dude. _We can't heal him until we know that we're finished fighting completely! Sasuke-kun-_

Wait a second…Sasuke-kun? Why was I calling him Sasuke-kun? And why did I feel like I'd been doing it for ages…?

_Hey! Do you think we knew him before?!_

**Inner me: It's possible….**

She sounded evasive, like she knew more than she was telling. _Again._

Hey! You know something, don't you?!

**Inner me: No.**

_Don't lie to me! It's kind of sad when you can't _trust yourself_, isn't it?!_

**Inner me: Sakura, I…Sakura! It's happening! **

I looked just in time to see the ground below Kakashi turn into rubble. He was too surprised to react. Water dude came splashing down to the ground, without much of a shape anymore.

After a few seconds, I walked towards Kakashi until I was ten feet away from him. He was trapped in between piles of earth that the exploding tag we'd sent down had blasted to bits. He didn't look too badly injured, luckily. He just couldn't move.

"Is it over?" I asked him.

"Yeah, it's over," he said. "Could you give me a hand?"

"Sure," I said. I walked all the way towards him and held out my hand.

"Um, Saori?" he said.

"Who-oh, oh yeah," I'd almost forgotten who Saori was. "What is it?"

"I can't get my hands out," he said, and I sweat dropped.

"Right, um…," I looked around for some sort of clue that would let me know what to do. "Um…oh, I got it!"

I called over Sasuke-kun and Naruto. Naruto was still feeling bad, but he came over. Sasuke-kun didn't seem too happy, but he still came over.

"What is it?" he asked.

**Inner me: Rude little-**

"Um, could you help me get Kakashi-sensei out?" I asked, scratching the back of my neck.

"Why can't you get him out? You're the one who got him stuck in there," said Sasuke-kun.

"Sasuke!" said Naruto angrily. "Don't be so rude to Saori-chan! Sure, we'll help you," he said. I smiled at him, and he went a little pink.

"Thank you, Naruto," I said happily. "Do you have any ideas?" I asked him.

"Nope!" he said cheerfully.

"Um, okay…," I said. "How about you, Sasuke-kun?"

Sasuke-kun's eyes went wide for some reason. He looked shocked.

"Are you okay, Sasuke-kun?" I asked him tentatively. "You look like you've just seen a ghost."

"Maybe I did…," he said, running his fingers through his hair distractedly.

"What?"

"Never mind," he said. "Naruto, make some clones, about ten. You," he pointed at me. "Get us a rope, now."

We did as we were told. Luckily, I had a spare rope in my pack; always have one for emergencies.

"Here," I said, handing it over. He took it and threw it at one of the Naruto's.

"Naruto, tie one end around Kakashi," he ordered. The Naruto with the rope did so, but….

"Um, Naruto?" I said, sweat dropping.

"What is it, Saori-chan?" ten Naruto's asked me.

"I don't think Sasuke-kun wanted you to tie it around Kakashi-sensei's _neck_," I said, staring at Kakashi who was also sweat dropping at the make-shift noose around his neck.

"Huh? Really?" one Naruto asked.  
"Dobe," said Sasuke.

"Don't call me a dobe, Sasuke!" said ten Naruto's.

"Then don't be a dobe," Sasuke told him calmly. "Tie it around his shoulders, not his neck. We don't want to kill him. Yet," he said.

"_Yet?_" asked Kakashi, sweat dropping again.

"Alright, I did it, Sasuke," a Naruto said.

"Good," said Sasuke. "Now, all twelve of us should take the rope and pull him out. Ready?"

We all grabbed the rope.

"Go."  
We pulled and pulled, and finally Kakashi was out. He got up and smiled under his mask.

"Thank you, you three. As for you, Saori, you might be even better than Sai. Next, you're up against Sasuke. Are you ready?" he asked.

Sasuke nodded. I did, too.

"Go!" he said.

I**nner me: I'm going to get him back for calling us PINKY!!**

A/N: Alright, that's chapter five. Huh? Five already? That was fast! Please review!


	6. Chapter 6

Fallen

Chapter 6: Swap

I stood still and didn't attack. Attacking first just wasn't my style. Apparently, it wasn't Sasuke-kun's, either. He didn't move.  
**Inner me: Damn it all! He's so damn confident!**

_Calm down._

**Inner me: I don't want to calm down!**

_Just do it, anyways._

**Inner me: Hmph!**

Then Sasuke-kun spoke.

"Hey, Kakashi," he said. "I have better things to do. Can't we save this for some other time?"

"Sorry, Sasuke," said Kakashi.

"Hn," Sasuke-kun muttered. "Hey, you," he looked at me.

**Inner me: Why won't he ever call us by our name?!**

_By our fake name, you mean,_ I corrected her.

**Inner me: Whatever.**

"You'd better make this worth it," and he attacked, kunai in hand. It kept on going on like that; he kept on attacking me, and I kept on dodging. But neither of us ever used any of our moves; we didn't want to show them unless we really needed to. After about an hour of hacking at each other, we were both sweaty but still unharmed. Finally, I got my kunai at his throat, both of us breathing hard.

"Stop!" called Kakashi. "Saori wins!"

**Inner me: No.**

She sounded so bitter.

_What do you mean?_

**Inner me: We didn't win any of those matches. If they'd gotten serious, they could've squished you.**

_What do you mean _'you'_?!_  
Inner me laughed.

**Inner me: Never mind. They're just a lot better that they look, that's all.**

_You're probably right_, I thought.

Kakashi let us go home, telling us to come back tomorrow.

We all lived in different parts of the village. I used the map to get back home. When I got there, I stared at the dust everywhere, and I swear it was staring right back.

_We need to do something about this._

**Inner me: As long as 'we' doesn't mean both you and me.**

So, I went out and bought some cleaning supplies. When I got home, I got to work. By the time I'd finished, I'd cleaned up the whole bottom floor, and I had some food in the fridge.

Satisfied, I went to bed.

The next day, I woke up and there was a hawk pecking on my window again. I opened it, and untied the message from the hawk. It was from Shizune, telling me that I'd have practices with Tsunade every Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday afternoon.

**Inner me: All right! That means we start today! **

_Yeah!_ I thought happily. _Today's going to be even better than yesterday!_

**Inner me: Aren't you excited?**

_Of course I am!_ I answered. _I mean, we have so much going right now! We have a house-_

**Inner me: That's got haunted potato chip bags in it.**

_We've got friends_-

**Inner me: Just Naruto and Kakashi. I don't think Sasuke-kun likes you.**

_We've got a team-_

**Inner me: -where you're just a replacement for some dude named Sai.**

_We've got a sensei,_ the _Hokage of Konoha-_

**Inner me: I guess that's good.**

_Will you stop interrupting me!_

**Inner me: Say please.**

_Please._

**Inner me: Okay.**

So after a nice long shower and breakfast, I found my way back to the place from yesterday without looking at the map once. Hell yeah! I'm so proud of myself!

Sasuke-kun was there, but Naruto and Kakashi weren't, so I assumed that I was on time.

**Inner me: Hell yeah! It's your chance to get on the good side of Sasuke-kun, **

**Sakura!**

_I thought you didn't like him because he called us pinky._

**Inner me: Times change! Now just walk over to him and make a new friend!**

I walked over to Sasuke-kun. He was leaning against the railing of the bridge that was our meeting place.

"Hey, Sasuke-kun," I said in a casual voice. "Mind if I join you?"

"Hn," was his reply.

**Inner me: We'll take that as a yes!**

I walked to the railing across from him and leaned against it, and looked at Sasuke-kun.

He really is a pretty boy, isn't he?

His hair was dark black, matching his cold, onyx eyes. It (the hair) went up at the back, and fell at the sides of his face in a (I really hated myself for admitting it) kind of attractive way. His skin wasn't too tan or too pale; it was somewhere in the middle. He had a skinny, but not muscle-less body, too.

I blushed when I noticed I was staring, and took out my pack to check and make sure I had everything instead. I stopped when I felt the heat leave my face, and put it back at my side.

"Hey, Sasuke-kun?" I began, somehow not intimidated by how scary he seemed.

"What?"

"Why did you say that yesterday?" I looked up, and faced him. He still wasn't looking at me.

"Say what?"

"Say maybe you had seen a ghost…," I said.

"None of your business," he muttered.

"I guess not," I said. "Sorry."

"Hn," he said.

"So, what was that guy, Sai, like?" I asked him.

"Weird," was all Sasuke-kun said.

"What do you mean by weird?"

"He was weird."

"Was he strong?"

"Not really."

It was quiet again. Why did he have to be so hard to talk to?

"You and Naruto seem like opposites," I said. I didn't stop there. I kept on going, sharing with him what I was seeing. "But, somehow," I looked at him in the face, trying to catch any sign of emotion. "You guys seem so alike, too."

"What? You think me and that dobe are alike? Are you insane?" he asked me. It was amazing. A normal person would've said that angrily or surprised, but you'd just think he was bored.

"Maybe I am," I whispered, more to myself than to him. I looked at the sky. It was blue today. A clear, pure blue, along with the occasional white little cloud floating along.

_Such a pretty sky._

**Inner me: Yeah. It looks so innocent.**

_It's nice._

I closed my eyes, enjoying the light breeze that was blowing gently around me.

_This is really nice._

"What do you mean?" Sasuke-kun asked, bringing me out of my daze.

"What do I mean about what?" I looked at him, surprised to find that he was actually looking at me.

"You said maybe you were insane," he said.

"I meant what I said, Sasuke-kun," was all I answered, and I looked to the sky again.

Maybe I was insane. I couldn't remember over half of my life, and I'd started getting those occasional voices inside my head, the sound of my brother and my mother dying. I didn't see how I could be completely sane with those kinds of things going on. And I doubted that Inner me was a normal thing in other people's heads. I mean, who's ever heard of having two consciousnesses in one body? It wasn't especially normal.

But I couldn't tell Sasuke-kun these things. I wanted to, which was weird, considering I'd only known him for a day and a half. But it somehow felt like I'd known him for so long.

_Come to think of it, you knew something about that, didn't you_? I asked Inner me suspiciously.

**Inner me: No. But we'll argue about that later; pay attention to Sasuke-kun.**

_Hmph._

"You look a lot like that person," Sasuke-kun said.

I looked at him again. He wasn't looking at me anymore, all that I saw was his back. "What?"

"That's why I said that maybe I did see a ghost. You look and act just like that person," he said.

"What person?" I asked him.

"An old friend of mine," he said quietly, and for some reason, angrily. "But she died."

_It couldn't be…_

"I'm really sorry," I said quietly. "Could you tell me her name?"

_Sakura! Hurry up, Sakura! Naruto and I are going to leave you behind and you'll have to train all by yourself!_

I'm hearing voices again…who is it this time? Cold and distant, but so familiar…who is it? Why does his voice make me feel so warm? And did he just say Naruto?!

_Sakura-chan! Come on! _

It's somebody else's voice, now. It sounds like….

My head started spinning. It was hurting, a lot. I put my hand in my hair, trying to somehow make the world stand still.

_You're so slow._

Sasuke-kun and…

_Sasuke! Don't be so mean to Sakura-chan!_

Naruto.

**Inner me: Hey, Sakura! Get a hold of yourself and listen!**

"Her name," Sasuke-kun took a deep breath, "Her name was Sakura. Sakura Haruno."

A/N: Okay, we all knew that was coming! But don't go thinking its SakuraxSasuke yet, okay? It's still NarutoxSakuraxSasuke (no yaoi, though). Keep an eye out for the next chapter! Please give me some (not extremely harsh) reviews!


	7. Chapter 7

Fallen

Chapter 7

"Her name," Sasuke-kun took a deep breath, "Her name was Sakura. Sakura Haruno."

I stared. My eyes became wide, so wide. Inside, my brain was going haywire. For once, Inner me was being quiet, almost as if she wasn't there.

_Sasuke-kun is…somebody I used to know._

The voices were coming back and I closed my eyes, trying to listen to whatever I could.

_Hi! I'm Naruto Uzumaki! Nice to meet you! This guy's Sasuke Uchiha! He's a big grouch, so I don't suggest you ask him out or anything._

_Hn. This is why you only have me for a friend, Naruto._ That was Sasuke-kun. _You can't even introduce somebody right._

_Don't worry!_ That was my voice, I was sure of it._ Daddy says I'm too little to get a boyfriend! Let's be friends!_

_Alright! Who's up for some ramen to celebrate our new friendship? _Naruto asked.

_Me!_ I said.

_Hn._

_Naruto! Sasuke-kun! Wait up!_ I panted, half a year later as I was running up a hill. Wait a second…running up a hill? I was seeing my memories, too!

_Sakura! Hurry up, Sakura! Naruto and I are going to leave you behind and you'll have to train all by yourself!_ Sasuke-kun called over his shoulder, still running.

_Sakura-chan! Come on!_ Naruto said, stopping and waving me over. After a few seconds, he began to run again.

Sasuke-kun stopped after a while, and faced me. I was still desperately struggling along. _You're so slow_, he commented.

_Sasuke!_ Naruto tackled Sasuke-kun on the spot and they began rolling around on the ground. _Don't be so mean to Sakura-chan!_

_Get off of me, you dobe!_ Sasuke-kun said, fighting back.

_Hey!_ I yelled, finally caught up to them. _Stop fighting, you two!_

"Hey…are you okay?" Sasuke-kun's voice yanked me back into the present.

I smiled at him, suddenly feeling much closer to him now. I knew him! He knew me, too, although he didn't know it. And he probably knew the past me better than I did right now. "I'm fine, Sasuke-kun," I said.

And then I remembered that we were talking about a dead friend of his (or so he thinks), and let my smile fall from my face respectfully. "How did she die?" I asked quietly. I'd wanted to know how my family had been killed since Tsunade said they'd been murdered.

"My brother, Itachi…," he looked furious. "He killed my entire clan that day, and I bet anything that he killed Sakura's family too. But he killed them in a different way, for some reason. He ripped her family to shreds," he winced. "But for my family, he left their bodies whole."

"You're brother did what?!" I demanded.

Sasuke-kun looked at me. "He killed my entire clan, but let me live. I lost everyone," he said.

"Except Naruto," I said.

"Except Naruto," he agreed. "But wait…how did you know we were friends then?" he asked.

"Lucky guess?" I said.

His eyes narrowed.

"Sasuke!" a voice called from behind us. "Hey, Saori-chan!" the voice said.

I turned and saw Naruto. I gave him a big smile.

_Naruto._

It was the same Naruto who had been my childhood friend, the same one who seemed to have defended me from being picked on by Sasuke-kun.

"Naruto," I ran up to him and hugged him, catching him off guard. "Naruto!" I repeated happily. At that time, I wasn't looking to see the twitch of annoyance Sasuke made when he saw me hug the blond haired ninja.

"S-Saori-chan?" Naruto asked, sounding confused but happy. "What's wrong? Did Sasuke pick on you or something?" he suddenly got angry. "If he did, I'm going to kick his-"

I pulled away. "No, that's not it," I said quickly, trying to calm him down. "I was just really happy to see you, that's all!"

Naruto blushed. "Really?" he asked.

"Of course," I said. "I mean, you're one of my-" I stopped myself. I couldn't say that he was one of my best friends after only knowing him for a day and a half; I'd sound like a weirdo. "You're one of my important teammates and friends," I said.

"Oh," he seemed disappointed. "Does that mean you hugged Sasuke, too?"

"Um, no," I said. "But maybe I should," I said as an after-thought. After all, Sasuke-kun was one of my best friends too, from what I could tell.

"No, that's all right, Saori-chan!" Naruto said cheerfully. "Kakashi told us we had the day off so we could let you meet everybody. They're meeting us at a restaurant. Come on, let's get Sasuke and go!" he said excitedly.

He ran over to Sasuke and talked to him for a few seconds, and then he came running back to me. (Okay, just to make it clear, don't go taking those last six words the wrong way.) "Alright, Sasuke knows. We can leave now!"

"Is Sasuke-kun coming?" I asked curiously, as we began to walk.

"Yeah," he pointed his thumb over his shoulder. "He's going to stay and train a bit first, though. I can't wait for you to meet Neji, Shikamaru, Lee, Kiba, and everyone else! I wish you could meet Gaara, but you know he's busy being the Kazekage and all that."

"You know the Kazekage?! Wow!" I said, amazed.

"Yeah," he said, like it was nothing. "We met during the chunin exams last year. But that was before he became the leader of Suna, of course."

"Does that mean you guys are all chunin? I'm still a genin," I admitted.

"Nope," said Naruto. "We had to cancel the exams last year, so the only person who made it to chunin was Shikamaru. We're going to have the chunin exams again next weak, actually," he said. "So it's lucky you came. Or else we wouldn't have been able to participate."

"I guess," I said. "Is it hard?" I asked.

"For some normal person, it is. But for me, it's a breeze!" he stated proudly.

"Glad to hear it!" I said.

We arrived at the restaurant soon, and I was able to meet them all. I was surprised when Lee (a guy with a bowl cut and huge eyebrows) came running up to me the second he saw me.

"Naruto-kun!" he looked from me to Naruto. "You didn't tell me you had such a youthful girlfriend! Ah, her youthfulness is getting to me!" I sweat dropped as he blushed and big yellow sparkly thingies popped up around him.

Naruto turned red. "Saori-chan isn't my girlfriend, Lee," he muttered embarrassed.

"Really, Naruto-kun?" he asked hopefully. Naruto nodded.

Lee did a three-sixty and a bouquet of roses and a heart-shaped box of chocolates appeared out of nowhere. He got onto one knee and said, "Saori-san! Please accept my puny trifles of love for you!"

I blushed. Naruto looked really angry but said nothing. "Um…, thank you," I said, accepting the bouquet and flowers. "That's really sweet of you, Lee."

Lee began to cry huge streams of tears.

"Oh my god, what's wrong?" I asked him. Did I offend him?

"Saori-san, you are so kind!" he said, wiping his tears with one arm. The rivers vanished, and he was grinning again. "Saori-san!" he said.

"Y-yes?" I asked uncertainly. Talk about major mood swings.

"You are twinkle of my eye, the hair on my youthful eyebrows, the mascara on my eyelashes!" he declared. I sweat dropped. What the hell was this kid going on about? "You are the pea to my green bean, the heartstring in my poodle, the caffeine in my coffee!"

"That's enough, Romeo," said Naruto, dragging Lee away.

I quickly became friends with a blond haired girl named Ino, and she invited me to a sleepover at her house on Friday.

**Inner me: I know you want to go, Sakura, but we can't. We can't miss our training session with Tsunade!**

_Oh, that's right! By the way, where were you? _I asked her.

**Inner me: Giving you the quiet you asked for. That Lee kid was something else, though. **

_You're late!_  
"Sorry, Ino," I apologized. "But I can't go."  
"Why?" she asked, looking disappointed. "Hinata and Tenten are both coming."

"I've got to practice with Tsunade-sama," I confided.

"You what?!" she exclaimed. "Oh my god, she asked you to be her apprentice?! You are so lucky, Saori! You can come over on Saturday and give me details then, okay?"  
"Sure!" I said happily.

And I met Hinata and Tenten, also, and we got along quickly too.

"Saori, Ino and Hinata are _so_ jealous!" said Tenten, giggling. She was a tomboy with brown hair in a Mickey-mouse style. "Ino is obsessed with Sasuke, and Hinata is in love with Naruto! You're on the team with their crushes!"

"Tenten!" Hinata protested quietly, blushing scarlet. Hinata was a really pretty girl, who looked a lot more elegant and lady-like than you'd expect any thirteen year old ninja to. Her hair was dark violet, and her eyes were bright purple, and oddly pupil-less. "You promised not to tell!"

"Oh, come on, Hinata!" said Ino cheerfully. "She'd find out eventually, anyways. I mean, _everybody_ knows that you like him! And I'm not obsessed with Sasuke-kun anymore, Tenten," Ino glared at Tenten. "You know that I've been dating Sai-kun for over a year now! How dare you suggest I'd even think about liking another guy?"

"I almost forgot," said Tenten, pretending to just remember something.

"Sure," Ino said sarcastically and began to mumble darkly.

I also met Shikamaru, Neji, and Kiba. Kiba was a friendly but wild looking guy who was with his dog, Akamaru. Neji had long, brown hair and eyes like Hinata, who turned out to be his cousin. Shikamaru was an (I can't think of anything else to say) awesome-looking guy. He had his hair pulled into a pineapple-shaped pony tail at the top of his head, and Naruto told me he was lazy, but one of the smartest people in the world.

"Nice to meet you, Kiba, Neji, Shikamaru," I said politely, looking at each of them when I said their names.

"'Sup!" Kiba greeted, fallowed by a bark from Akamaru.

**Inner me: He seems alright.**

"Nice to meet you too," Neji politely inclined his head.

**Inner me: This guy's clearly from some high-class family. Manners like those….**

"Troublesome," muttered Shikamaru.

**Inner me: WHAT THE **_**HELL**_**?!?!?!?!**

"Hey!" Naruto yelled angrily at him. "Don't be so mean to Saori-chan!"

I smiled gently at him. I saw Shikamaru's eye's focus on me.

**Inner me: Watch it, Sakura! This is supposed to be the super-smart kid, remember? And Naruto also said he's a chunin. He can't be underestimated. Don't let him get any hints about who we really are, got it?  
**_Right_, I replied.

A/N: Whew! That was a long one! Please review, guys! And keep the harshness to a low, okay?^^


	8. Chapter 8

Fallen

Chapter 8:

"So, how long have you all lived in the village?" I asked with innocent curiosity.

"We've all been here all of our lives!" Kiba answered happily. "Our families have been here for generations!" Akamaru barked again. I swear it looked like he was smiling.

"I don't know, though," said Naruto. He didn't look down, but something in his eyes made him look more serious. "I don't know who my parents are."

_What? _

"I'm sorry," I said.

"Don't be, Saori-chan!" Naruto said, grinning cheerfully. "All of my friends are my family! You are, too!" I smiled in response.

**Inner me: …That kid. **

_He's so strong. _

**Inner me: But you can tell, right?**

…_Yeah. _

I watched Naruto get into an argument with Kiba about which was better; ramen or dog food.

_He's lonely._

"Naruto!" Kiba said. "You can't train a pet with ramen!"

"You can't find happiness at the bottom of a bag of dog treats!" Naruto retorted.

"Watch me!" Kiba shouted.

"Hey!" I said. "Stop fighting, you two!"

Naruto turned to me, looking surprised.

_Oops. _

**Inner me: Don't **_**'oops'**_** me, damn it Sakura! Don't just go acting like you did when you were little!**

"I mean," I said hastily. "It's not…um, good to fight?"

"You're so weird, Saori-chan!" Naruto grinned and ruffled my hair.

**Inner me: Who's weird, **_**RAMEN-BOY**_**?!?!?!**

_Oh, be quiet. He's just teasing,_ I thought to Inner me as I fixed my hair.

For the rest of the afternoon, we ate, drank (non-alcoholic stuff; we were all still minors) and were merry. But then, at five, Inner me cut in to my friend-making.

**Inner me: Hey, Sakura! It's Tuesday, remember?**

_Yeah. Why?_

**Inner me: Don't **_**you**_** go asking me **_**'why'**_**! You're supposed to be the responsible one! Don't you remember what we have every Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday?**

_Oh, crap!_ I thought, remembering. _My meeting with Tsunade-sama! _

"Hey, Naruto," I said, weaving through the crowd to get to the sugar-high blond. "I'll see you later, okay? I have to get going now."

"Why?" Naruto asked jumping down from the table he'd been standing on with Kiba, in a soda-drinking contest.

"I have to meet Tsunade-sama!" I told him.

"You have to meet Tsunade-baachan?!" asked Naruto, surprised.

**Inner me: Insolent brat! Calling our sensei baachan!**

_Oh, shut it._

"Yeah," I said to him. "See you later!"

And I walked out of the door, with Lee's chocolates and flowers in my arms. I didn't need a map or a guide to find the place I was heading to; Hokage tower was towering (haha) over all the rest of the buildings.

I ran on top of the buildings, aiming for the tower.

**Inner me: Hey, what do you think we'll be doing?**

_Um…apprentice stuff?_

**Inner me: No dip, Sherlock. **

_Ugh, how should I know?_

**Inner me: You're the smart one, remember?**

_I'm not smarter; I just use my brains more often._

**Inner me: If I had a body, I'd hit you.**

_AH! It's a monster, it's a going to kill us, it's…me!_ I pretended to be scared.

We came to a stop in front of the building, and I entered it. I remembered that it was the top room, so it shouldn't be that hard to find…right?

**Inner me: With my sense of direction, it'll be a piece of tart!**

_Cake!_

**Inner me: Whatever! **

It took a while, but we made our way up to the top of Hokage tower. I knocked on the door and a voice I recognized as Tsunade-sama's boomed "Come in!"

I opened the door, and entered the familiar room. It felt like it had been centuries since my last visit here, even though I knew it was less than two days ago.

"Ah, Sakura!" said Tsunade-sama happily. I looked at her, and sweat dropped. I'd expected her to be dutifully stamping papers, or talking to more of those weird ANBU members. But she wasn't. She was in a sea of both empty and full sake bottles piled onto her desk. When I paid more attention, I could see a definite flush in her cheeks.

**Inner me: Do you think she's an alcoholic?**  
_Don't you _dare_ think rude thoughts about our sensei! She probably just had a really hard day and decided to have a bit of relaxation._

**Inner me: Sure. And pigs fly.**

Just then, a tiny little pig came whooshing past my head and into Tsunade-sama's lap.

**Inner me: …The world is against me and I know it.**

I mentally snorted.

Tsunade-sama looked at me, her gaze steady. "Sakura Haruno," she said. It was so nice to have someone other than Inner me calling me by my real name. "Sit down," Tsunade-sama ordered, gesturing to the chair across her sake-covered desk.

I obeyed, looking at my sensei over the accumulation of bottles.

"We're not going to do any physical training today," she said. "Right now, I just want to get to know you."

_That's so nice…._

**Inner me: She's only saying that because she's drunk and she knows it.**

_Don't you _dare_ insult sensei!_

"Sakura," she said. "Tell me about your time in Konoha so far." I did. I told her everything, from my flashbacks, to the battles with my team mates, and to the haunted bag of potato chips.

"Well," Tsunade-sama leaned back in her chair comfortably. "It sounds like you really enjoyed it here. I'm glad."

"You are?" I asked before I could stop myself. I sounded so disrespectful.

**Inner me: You're such a goody two-shoes!**

_And you could learn a thing from us goody two-shoes, you disrespectful tart!_

**Inner me: Tart? Wait…you're not making fun of my tart comment earlier, are you?**

_No,_ I said sarcastically.

**Inner me: You damned little-!**

"Yes, I am," Tsunade-sama interrupted Inner me.

"Thank you," I said.

Tsunade-sama smiled.

"Now, I want to talk to you about the chunin exams. As you are aware, you are still under the classification of genin, and so you could benefit from participating in the chunin exams," she said.

I nodded.

"So, would you like to take part in it? I'm warning you, though, it's not easy. Many people have died. I won't be able to help you, either," she told me.

I nodded again. I was glad that she was telling me the truth, even if it wasn't encouraging. I liked it better when people told it like it is, rather than miss the key points of the matter.

"I want to do it," I said. "Not only because I want Naruto and Sasuke-kun to get a chance to take part, but because I just want to do it."

Tsunade-sama nodded approvingly. "I'm glad to hear it."

She dismissed me, and I went home.

The week went through quicker than any other week in my memory. Time really did fly when you were having fun.

Kakashi trained us every day in preparation for the chunin exams, and on Thursday and Friday, I went to visit Tsunade-sama and she began to train me. We started off with the basics; she wanted to see my level for herself. After a while, she seemed satisfied and began tutoring me. We went over chakra control, which she said was essential for what she was going to teach me.

I used my free time to hang out with everyone. Ino insisted she take me shopping, and so Hinata, Tenten, and I were dragged along to hunt for clothes. I got a few outfits that everyone said looked great on me. We went back to training when we got home.

Monday came. Everyone was excited; you could almost feel it. The chunin exams were coming. No one had any idea of what was going to happen and no one could wait for those things to happen.

We were all gathered in a room, strangers and friends alike. There were weirdoes, too; this one group of three was completely covered in black cloaks, except for their eye-holes.

A dude walked in and looked at us. Everyone was quiet.

"Welcome to the chunin exams," he said, in a deep, booming voice. "The first round will start right here, right now. Don't die." And with that, he disappeared in a puff of smoke.

**Inner me: 'Don't die'?! Who the hell does he think he's talking to?!?!?!?!**

A/N: Yay! Tsunade's going to teach Sakura to have her monster strength!

**Inner Sakura: Hell Yeah!**

So keep an eye out for the next chapter, okay? I know my writing sucks but keep the harshness to a low, okay? Please? Please review!


	9. Chapter 9

Fallen

Chapter 9: Wet First Stage and Some Freaky Scale-Sword Guy

**Inner me: 'Don't die'?! Who the hell does he think he's talking to?!?!?!?!**

Naruto and Sasuke-kun, who were both standing next to me, tensed. I'd noticed it too; that weird noise. What was it? No one else gave any sign that they realized something was happening.

I glanced at Sasuke-kun and Naruto, and both looked at me, giving me a look warning me to be quiet.

That sound was familiar but so hard to recognize.

**Inner me: Sakura! I know what it is!**

_What?_

**Inner me: Get the hell out of here! Now!**

_But what is it?_

**Inner me: I'll tell you once I know we have time. Now grab the others and go!**  
I looked around me, looking for an exit. Every single one had been sealed off. There wasn't any escape route.

_Now what?  
_Inner me was getting frustrated.

**Inner me: Listen. That sound is water. See those white squares?**

I looked up and saw five white squares, each about two square feet on the black ceiling.

**Inner me: That's where it's going to come from, and there's a lot of it. The sound we're hearing is the pressure from all of that water building up. **

_Okay. So there's a huge amount of water coming at us, and all of the escape routes are blocked. Anyone with water abilities will have a serious advantage; they'll probably be able to survive it _if_ the manage to realize what's going on in time. What are our options?_

It was strange. Inner me was always the fiery one, the one who relied on me. But right now, I felt like _she_ was the one who _I_ could depend on. As if she knew way more about this type of stuff than me. But that wasn't possible; we were the same person. We had the same experiences. Right?

**Inner me: The things that we can do are very limited.**

She sounded strained, like she was holding something back.

_One option is to look for a weak spot in the walls, floors, anything. Then, we use all of that pressure to our advantage and try to make an opening,_ I suggested, trying to be helpful.

**Inner me: There's an extremely low chance that that will work. I'll bet you they've already thought of that and made some seriously hard and thick layers around all areas. Probably tons of brick and metal involved; they'd need a lot for it to stand up to the kind of pressure we're going to get. It's probably the same for the doors. They wouldn't take that sort of chance; it would cause major problems. If a hole opens, the likelihood of the whole group getting through it all right increases, and they probably want to narrow down the numbers by as much as possible. Also, those guys are trying to test us and see if we can cope with the unexpected, and impossible. Well, of course, impossible for a **_**normal**_** human. But we're not normal, are we, Sakura? **

I was so surprised. Inner me was thinking, and sounding really smart. Everything she was saying made sense, too. What the hell was the world coming to?!

_Then what?!_ I asked her, panicking. _What can we do?!_

Inner me was quiet for a while.

**Inner me: Sakura. Our number one priority is to get through this tournament with everybody you care about alive and as a chunin. So, we'll have to get through this, even if it means helping out our rivals a bit.**

_Then…,_ I thought.

**Inner me: Yeah. We're going to have to blow this hell whole. With **_**that.**_

"Naruto!" I said quietly. "Sasuke-kun! You guy's know what's going on, right?"

Both of them were quiet. "I'll take that as a no," I said and even more quietly, I began to explain about the water and the probability of the layers surrounding us.

"So what's the plan?" asked Naruto.

"I'm not too keen on doing it, but we'll have to break through all of those layers." I said.

The sound was growing louder and louder; the water would be on us any second.

**Inner me: Sakura! Hurry up!**

"Look," said Sasuke-kun seriously. "That would take a really long time to do, and we don't have that kind of time. And we'd be helping out the enemies, too."

"Do you have some other plan, then?" I asked hopefully. He didn't say anything.

"I see…," I muttered, feeling disappointed. "But our priority is for all of this to get through this alive, and as chunins. We'll just have to work extra hard to take our other rivals out later."

"But what about breaking through all of that?" Naruto asked me.

"I've got that taken care of. Naruto, tell Lee's team. Sasuke-kun, tell Kiba's team. I'll tell Ino's group. Keep your voices as low as possible. Go!"

We separated and I walked over to Ino and her other team mate, Chouji. After whispering the facts and plan them, I went back to Naruto and Sasuke-kun.

"Did it go alright?" I asked them.

"Yeah," said Naruto.

"Hn," said Sasuke-kun.

**Inner me: It's coming. Ready, Sakura?**

I nodded.

Sasuke-kun and Naruto looked confused, but they shook it off; there were more important things to think about than me nodding to an invisible person.

The water came pouring in. I focused my chakra into one fist and charged at the wall. It turned into rubble, as did the fifty layers of brick that came after it. After that, my fist came into contact with steel, but I punched through that too.  
**Inner me: It's working!**

_Yeah_, I agreed. _It_'s _really lucky Tsunade-sama is teaching us_. _But going through all of these is really tiring…I don't know if I'll have enough chakra to do a lot for a bit._

The water came rushing at me, and I saw those three black cloaked men…. They were letting the water carry them, not fighting it.

**Inner me: Hmph, looks like they might be intelligent. Fighting against that much pressure won't do anything but hurt you.**

As one of them came by, I felt a weapon. It was like a huge sword, but something wasn't right. It felt like it had, although I knew it was impossible, thousands of sharp _scales_ on it. I flinched as I felt it tear a huge gash into my stomach.

**Inner me: What the-?!**

The water around me was going from foamy and white to foamy and red.

**Inner me: Sakura!**

_I'm fine_, I assured her.

**Inner me: But we're bleeding like crazy! Look at how red the water is!**

_Stop worrying, you tart._

**Inner me: Don't keep on going on about that tart comment! And I'm not worried!**

_Then stop acting like it. I'm fine._

**Inner me: …Can you heal yourself?**

_I don't think so. I'm pretty much out of chakra for the time being._

**Inner me: Damn it!**

We were carried outside by the current. I saw and felt several limp bodies being tossed around by the water.

_Poor people…._

**Inner me: Hmph! It's their fault for not realizing what was going on!**  
_You don't need to be so heartless about it._

**Inner me: …It makes it easier to think like that, though.**

I didn't answer. I wasn't sure what a good reply would be for something like that.

And then I remembered I was bleeding, and being dragged against my will by a big hoard of water. But where were they? Where were my friends?

Inner me: Call for them.

"Naruto!" I called. "Sasuke-kun! Ino! Tenten! Hinata! Guys!"

I heard a faint call back. I looked around, trying to find the owner of that voice.

"Saori-chan!" Naruto called, waving over at me. He had Sasuke-kun next to him.

The water finally soaked into the ground, leaving a huge puddle behind. I saw them. Ino was complaining about how wet she was while Chouji stood next to her.

Hinata, Kiba, and their other teammate, a guy named Shino, were all trying to dry off. Akamaru was shaking the water off like it was nothing.

Tenten, Lee, and Neji were all talking. I caught Lee saying something that sounded a lot like "What a youthful experience!"

I was so relived. My friends, all of them, were alright. "Saori-chan!" Naruto came running over, Sasuke-kun trudging leisurely behind him. And then they stopped, staring at me. Well, more specifically, my stomach and the puddle of my own blood (which is type AB negative, for your information) surrounding me.

They both ran over, faster. "Hey! Are you alright?!" Naruto asked. He ran over to me. I was still standing, but my knees were beginning to tremble with the effort.

I smiled brightly, though. "Oh, this?" I asked, pointing to my stomach. "This is nothing!"

**Inner me: You're such a liar. It hurts like crap! Just what was that sword?!  
**_I don't know…but I don't want them to worry about me._

**Inner me: Once again; **_**YOU ARE SUCH A GOODY TWO-SHOES!**_

_I don't mind._

**Inner me: Come on. At least try to heal it.**

_Okay._

I placed my hand over my stomach and began to gather my chakra. The familiar glow came, and I began to heal up my stomach. Soon enough, it was as good as new. But then it began to bruise a horrible black color.

**Inner me: Damn it! It's not enough just to heal the surface! It's giving you internal bleeding, too….**

_That's alright,_ I replied. I covered up my stomach with my pack, so my friends wouldn't be able to notice. Luckily, they didn't. They were both looking at my face. Naruto looked awed, but Sasuke-kun's expression was as blank as normal.

"You know medical ninjutsu?! That's so cool, Saori-chan!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Thanks," I said, smiling. I walked up to them. "Let's go meet the others," I suggested.

**Inner me: Sakura. You've made yourself a prime target, you know that, right? They'll be taking down the easy prey, and you're injured. **

_Even injured, I'm sure I have enough energy to fight them off. And I've got Sasuke-kun and Naruto, too._

**Inner me: Don't rely on them. Don't rely on anyone else's strength besides your own. Or else you'll be a huge burden to your friends.**

_I know that._

**Inner me: Don't forget it.**

We checked up on the rest, and they were all looking wet, but unharmed.

"Be careful, though," I warned everybody. "You could catch a cold."

"Oh, _relax,_ Saori!" said Kiba confidently. "As if _I_ would catch a cold!" Kiba sneezed.

"My point exactly," I said.

Naruto laughed.

We made a fire, and huddled around it. After an hour of warming up, a woman appeared.

"Hey, you damn brats!" she said. "I'm Anko! The next trial is going to be much harder, and if you whimps can't take it, get t he hell out of here right now!"

Inner me: I like her.

A/N: There's the end of chapter nine! Please review! Alright, I'm on a roll. Keep the harshness to a low, like always, okay?


	10. Chapter 10

Fallen

Chapter 10: The Second Trial; Mr. Cliff!

Everyone looked at the woman. Most looked shocked. One of the weirdoes in a black cloak whispered something to one of his teammates, who chuckled. The other just stared at Anko.

Naruto looked excited. Sasuke-kun looked bored. None of them felt any nervousness whatsoever; they seemed confident in their abilities.

"Hey, Anko!" said Naruto cheerfully, waving to the woman.

"What's up, Naruto?" she asked. She was still intimidating, even when she was being friendly.

"I'm going to win this thing and become Hokage!" he shouted. The tension broke. Several people laughed.

**Inner me: Just like him, right?  
**_Yeah…,_ I agreed, sweat dropping.

"I'm looking forward to it!" Anko said. "Now, we're not going to use the Forest of Death this year for testing."

A lot of people cheered. A few booed. I was just quiet, no knowing what the heck she was talking about.

"Instead," Anko continued. "We're going to try and make it a bit quicker this time. So, we're going to do something nice and fast. Take a look around you!"

I did. I already knew that we were at the edge of a forest. It was hard not to when you'd been sitting in the same place for an hour. There was a path going to our left (North) and right (South). I didn't know what was ahead of either of them.

"You see that, over there?" she asked, gesturing to the right path. "That leads to a cliff. We're going to take you all to the bottom of that cliff and tie you up with chakra ropes, so you can't move your arms or legs freely. All you have to do is climb up the cliff and get to the top before sunrise tomorrow; it's simple!"

There was a lot of groaning and muttering and boos. Naruto grinned excitedly. The three cloaked guys just chuckled.

**Inner me: Simple…? SIMPLE MY ASS, YOU DAMNED SON OF A-**

_God, calm down! I thought you said you liked her._

**Inner me: That was before she started saying that doing the impossible was simple!  
**_You said so yourself_, I reminded her. _We're not a normal person._

**Inner me: Yeah, but-**

_So,_ I cut in. _Doing something like this should be a piece of cake. Use the information we've gotten and let's figure out a plan._

**Inner me: …Fine. **

"Oh, and let me remind you," Anko added. "If one of your team mates doesn't pass, your whole team fails, even if you _did_ make it up to the top."

Sasuke-kun glared at me and Naruto.

"What?" Naruto asked.

"Don't fail," he told us.

"Sasuke!" shouted Naruto. "Stop being so damn gloomy all the time! If you want us to get through, then show some confidence in us!"

"Hn," was all Sasuke-kun said in reply.

**Inner me: I'm so with Naruto on this one. That guy is such a gloomy little-**

_Oh, shut up._

I began to think. The situation could vary drastically depending on the slightest details f how I was tied up. I'd have to come up with a lot of plans, and back up plans.

While I was forming at least three dozen, Naruto didn't look like he was concentrating at all. He was just confidently grinning, as if he'd already been chosen to be a chunin.

"Alright, fallow me! Any cheating and you'll be dropped out of the tournament on the spot! Don't think we would hesitate to kill a single one of you maggots!" Anko declared.

**Inner me: She's on my good list again.**

_You're so weird_.

**Inner me: If I'm weird, you are too.**

_No. It's just you._

**Inner me: Why you-**

Anko began to run, and we fallowed. I sprinted next to Sasuke-kun and Naruto in the front, and the rest fallowed behind us. About half of the original numbers were left; around forty groups in all.

Anko stopped, and we did too. We were standing at the top of a cliff. I chanced a look down, and gulped. It had to be at least a five thousand feet drop. I would probably die before I hit the bottom if I fell off.

Anko took us down in a giant lift, and we hit the bottom after about fifteen minutes. I wondered why she thought that this would be quick.

"Alright," Anko said. "We're going to tie you all up now!"

And so we were tied up by Anko and dozens of ANBU members. When it was my turn, they did it thoroughly, wrapping several times around my legs and arms, leaving my body untouched. It made at least ninety-five percent of my ideas worthless. The other five percent would rely on luck.

They carried us to a starting point. Soon, everyone was there. Anko blew her whistle, and people began to struggle. Somehow, all three black cloaked dudes made it to the top in one jump on the first try. Shino was carried up by billions of tiny black things.

**Inner me: Damn.**

_I know._

I tried to do that too, but I knew it was a sure failure before I'd even started. I only got about one hundred feet up, and then I came back down, landing on my feet. It hurt.

_Alright, let's try something else._

Hours and hours later, the black dudes and Shino were still the only ones at the top. The rest were running, leaping, gnawing at their ropes, and doing anything else they could think of. Ten teams had already given up.

Finally, another person made it up. Sasuke-kun. I wasn't sure how he'd done it; I hadn't been looking. But next thing I knew, he wasn't there anymore.

**Inner me: As expected of genius-boy.**

Darkness came falling, and a few people fainted, or just stopped to take a nap. Chouji managed to bounce (yes, _bounce_) up to the top. Naruto, Kiba, Lee, Tenten, Neji, and Hinata were also up there. I kept on trying, fighting against the sleepiness. My stomach was starting to hurt even more where I'd been sliced.

**Inner me: Sakura. All of your plans have failed. What now?**

_Why don't you try coming up with something?_ I suggested.

**Inner me: Try breaking out of the ropes. **

I did. No luck.

**Inner me: I mean, try doing it with your super strength!**

_That's it!_ _Tsunade-sama's technique!_

I focused all of my chakra into my foot. It began collecting. I gathered it up for a full ten minutes, and then I jumped. I soared up into the sky. It felt amazing! I was whooshing past everything, defying gravity (sort of).

_I'm flying!_

**Inner me: It's been such a long time….**

_What?_

**Inner me: Never mind.**

I was there! I had made it to the top! Sasuke-kun looked bored. Naruto grinned broadly and whooped. I hadn't let my friends down!

One of the ANBU members untied me, and I sat down with the rest. A few other teams were there, looking exhausted. The rest were down there.

_If only Ino would make it…,_ was the last thing I thought before falling asleep on the solid ground.

In the morning, I woke up to find it was sunny. The trial had ended. I sat up, and looked around. Everyone was still there, looking tired or sleeping. Naruto was drooling onto the grass. Sasuke-kun looked the same as always; bored-looking and awake.

"Did she…?" I asked him.

"What?"

"Did Ino make it?"

"No. Chouji and Ino are already heading back home," he answered unconcernedly.

"I see…," I said. Ino hadn't made it.

**Inner me: At least we know she's alive and kicking.**

_Yeah._

"How many other teams made it?" I asked him.

"Besides us, Shino's group and Lee's team, four other teams made it," he answered. "They're about to take us somewhere to find out about the third trial."

"Thanks for telling me," I said. I looked at Naruto. He was still drooling, sprawled across the ground like he didn't have a care in the world. I smiled.

I didn't catch the flash of anger in Sasuke-kun's dark eyes when I did so.

A/N: Go Sakura!^^ Alright, a few things to think about. What did Inner Sakura mean when she said 'It's been such a long time'? Who are the mysterious cloaked black dudes? And it's obvious that Sasuke and Naruto are already starting to feel close to Sakura! But, of course, she's oblivious to it. Please review!


	11. Chapter 11

Fallen

Chapter 11: The Third Trial

Anko took us to a small building. Naruto was looking around nostalgically. Sasuke-kun was being Sasuke-kun. I looked around, too.

"Alright, see you later!" Anko said, and she disappeared with a puff of smoke. We all stood there. And then, I heard that person's voice. I felt warm inside, and I forgot the pain in my stomach.

"Hey!" the voice said. "Show some respect and face me, you lot!" Everyone went quiet.

_Tsunade-sama…._

I turned to see Tsunade-sama standing at the top of a really wide staircase. She looked as impressive as ever.

I smiled at her, and I could've sworn she looked my way.

"Listen up!" she yelled. "If you participated in the exams last year, you can probably guess what is going to happen! You are no longer participating with your team; you're in this on your own!"

**Inner me: Looks like we've got a lot of competition, Sakura. And most of them are your friends.**

_That's alright. As long as they get through this okay, it's alright._

**Inner me: You're such a softy.**

"We will be selecting you randomly to go up against another participant who is present immediately. It is possible for you to be up against your own comrade. However, you will be given the chance to forfeit. I will ask this once and _only_ once; raise your hand now if you want to stop participating!" Tsunade-sama said.

I looked around one, two, three…, six people raised their hands. An ANBU member asked them their names and recorded them on a clipboard, and then they were aloud to leave. That left twenty-two people. None of my friends or the strange men in black (haha) left.

**Inner me: Cowards.**

_They aren't cowards. They just value their life more than their title._

**Inner me: Then they're **_**pride-less**_** cowards. Or as your mom would say, they're doing it out of weakness.**

_So much has happened in the past few weeks. But I still remember that one memory clearly. It's almost as if it was more important than any of the others._

**Inner me: If you think that it seems important, then make sure you don't forget it.**

_I don't think I could if I tried._

"Are you all ready?" Tsunade-sama asked us. There was murmuring of agreement.

"Look at the screen above me on the wall. When I press this button," she held up a small remote. "It will randomly select two of you to battle each other. The rest of you," she pointed to two sets of staircases on our right and left, heading up. "Will watch from up there as the two people fight down here. The winner will be continuing through the tournament. The loser will be disqualified. There are no rules but to top when the judge says so. Good luck," and with that, she pressed a button on her remote.

The first two names turned up. One of the black guys stepped forward, and so did a tough-looking man who looked like he was in his twenties.

I fallowed the rest up the stairs, and stood with my friends. I leaned forwards on the railing to get a better look at what was going on.

The judge blew his whistle. For a fraction of a second, the black dude disappeared. He reappeared in the same spot and position. If I hadn't known better, I would have thought I'd just blinked and my eyes were playing tricks on me.

**Inner me: God! These black guys are amazing! That speed….**

The tough looking ninja fell face forward, unconscious. The judge blew his whistle, signaling the end of the match.

Tsunade-sama pressed the buttons again once they were out of the way (a team of medic ninja's had taken the unconscious one on a stretcher). The next two were Kiba vs. Lee. One or both were going to go.

I watched. Both were spectacular; Kiba and Akamaru with their teamwork and Lee with his speed and taijutsu. But in the end, Lee won. Kiba and Akamaru had fallen unconscious, and were taken away by the medics. Lee went with them; he was hurt, too.

The button was pressed again. Another black guy and a confident looking woman came down the stairs. They fought. He won without looking like he'd used much effort at all.

**Inner me: These guys are way above chunin level. What are they doing as genins? **

_I don't have a clue…. I mean, how could they be stuck as genins? Or have they just been training a bit too hard for the chunin exams?_

**Inner me: It's suspicious. Watch out for them, Sakura.**

_Yeah._

The next was Sasuke-kun against Hinata. Hinata put up a great fight, and she endured a lot. Hit after hit, she stood up again and didn't give up. My already high respect for her rose as I watched her fighting against Sasuke-kun. But she still lost.

Her body finally did what her mind had been refusing to do; it gave up. She passed out and was taken away by some medic ninjas.

I wanted to leave and go with her, but we weren't aloud to do that kind of thing until we had already fought.

**Inner me: She did a great job.**

_She really did. _

The button was pressed again. Neji was up against Tenten. I was worried. Tenten might hold back (not that Neji needed it) because she like him. They began to fight. Neji ran up to her and knocked her out by hitting a pressure point in her neck. He caught her and handed her to the medic ninjas when they came.

Next, Shino was up against a muscled guy with wearing metal gauntlets. Shino was amazing.

**Inner me: Creepy!**

Shino was amazing. Bugs living in his body swarmed out of him, and he had the gauntlet guy beaten in seconds. The bugs retreated back into Shino once they'd finished their job, and Shino headed back up the stairs like it was nothing.

In the next two battles, no one I knew fought. A wild looking woman with long orange hair and a guy who was as bony as heck won.

Then it was Naruto's turn. He was up against…the third black guy. This one took off his cloak, and revealed himself, unlike his team mates.

"Eh?!" he exclaimed in disbelief when he came face to face with his opponent.

A little kid who looked like he was only five years old was standing in front of him, on stilts.

"What?" asked the kid in an adult man voice.

**Inner me: **_**WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH THAT KID**_**?!?!? THIS IS SO SCREWED UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**

_Stop freaking out. You're making it seem worse than it is._

Then something impossibly weird happened. The kid/man/whatever he was looked up, directly at me. It was as if he had heard Inner me. But that was impossible; I knew for a fact that I hadn't spoken any of those words. But I saw him mouth one word as he looked up at me.

'Two.'

A/N: Okay, I know that was short, but that's the end of the chapter. Please review!

**Inner Sakura: But wait a second, wait a damn second! What about that kid, huh?! Does he know something?!**

You'll find out later, won't you? Keep an eye out for number 12!^^


	12. Chapter 12

Fallen

Chapter 12: Demon

**Inner me: **_**WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH THIS KID?!?!?!**_** THIS IS SO SCREWED UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**

_Stop freaking out. You're making it seem worse than it is._

Then something impossibly weird happened. The kid/man/whatever he was looked up, directly at me. It was as if he had heard Inner me. But that was impossible; I knew for a fact that I hadn't spoken those words. But I saw him mouth one word as he looked up at me.

'Two.'

**Inner me: What does he mean, two?**

_I don't know…._

"Hey!" Naruto shouted at him. "Look at your opponent!"

The judge blew the whistle, and Naruto charged. The kid who used to be in black stayed confidently still, keeping his dark brown eyes locked on Naruto. Then, when Naruto was just about to punch him, he turned up behind him. It was fast, faster than the blink of an eye. He was just as good as his friends. Were they all kids?

Naruto turned around, and charged again, and swung around to face his opponent. Said person raised a single hand, slowly and lazily, as if to try and stop Naruto from coming any closer.

Naruto came closer anyways. When he became close enough to touch the kid's outstretched hand, he pushed it aside.

I felt a bit angry at him despite myself. How could he be so mean to a little kid?

**Inner me: Don't go feeling sorry for that little brat, Sakura! In case you've forgotten, he's not just some ordinary kid!**

_He just looked up at us and mouthed 'two'. Are you saying that makes him extraordinary?_

**Inner me: Ugh, I DON"T KNOW!  
**She sounded frustrated.

**Inner me: I know this kid is really powerful, but I can't put my finger on just how!**

_Let's just keep watching._

And so I did. Naruto was walking towards him, and then the little guy put his hand up in front of Naruto's chest. Then I noticed something was different about the kid; he was focusing chakra.

Naruto walked into his hand, and looked down at it. Then he flew across the room and crashed into the opposite wall, making it crack into spidery lines.

_Did you see that?!  
_**Inner me: Of course I did! I'm freaking **_**you**_**, damn it!**

The kid disappeared again, and in a flash he was in the air above Naruto, and he punched him down onto the floor. When Naruto tried to get up again, he was sent down by a kick.

The kid started acting without mercy, punching him into the ceiling, floor, using all parts of his body. One time he even used a head-butt. Naruto kept on getting beaten up, until he finally stopped moving.

Naruto was still for a few minutes, lying on the ground motionlessly, like a dead body. I saw the judge focusing on my friend, trying to decide if he was still capable of fighting or not. I hoped he wouldn't call Naruto out yet; I knew Naruto well enough to know that he hadn't given up yet.

Naruto stood up, and I sighed with relief. He had a really nasty wound on his head, but it was just bleeding a lot. It didn't seem serious. I sighed in relief.

_Thank god!_

"Heh," I heard Naruto say, wiping blood off of his head. "You're really good."

_Hey…do you think something's…different about his chakra?_

**Inner me: Oh **_**tart**_**.**

_What? _

Inner me didn't answer. I continued looking at Naruto trying to find out what was happening.

_Long ago, nine demons existed, walking around the place and leaving death and destruction behind them._ My mother's voice echoed in my head.

"Sorry, but…," Naruto took a step forward, and the kid took a step back.

_Even though hundreds of people and armies tried, they weren't able to over power a single one._

Naruto disappeared. He was faster than the kid had been, faster than I thought was humanly (or ninja-ly) impossible. He was behind the kid in less than a millisecond, and he'd given him a hit in the back, sending him _feet_ into the wall on the other side of the room. He narrowly avoided hitting Tsunade-sama's head.

"Not done yet!" Naruto exclaimed, suddenly standing beside the whole in the wall where (formerly) black-cloak guy was. He yanked a beaten up kid out of the wall, and kicked him into the air, sending him crashing with an unpleasant cracking noise into the ceiling.

He jumped up there, and pulled the kid back down, getting on top of him and slamming his body against the ground, making the floor actually _crumble_.

_Naruto…._

_The demons were just too strong._

Naruto finally became still, and I was able to catch a glimpse of him. His blue eyes were now red, with black, cat-like pupils. He had a red/orange chakra…I don't know, layer completely surrounding his body. It also formed a single, long tail and two huge, fox-like ears made completely of chakra.

_But one day someone found out a way to suppress them; he sealed one of the demons into his own wife. The other demons were quickly sealed into others, and everybody began to start living peacefully at last._

_Naruto…._

Naruto picked his already unconscious opponent up off of the ground, and threw him across the room.

_Everyone but the people with the demons sealed inside them that is, or the Jinchuuriki. No one forgot what it was like when the animals were at large; no one could forget what they had done to them._

**Inner me: He's…**

_Don't tell me that he's…._

The judge blew the whistle, but Naruto looked just looked savagely at him for interrupting his fun. I knew what he was going to do, but I had no idea if I would make it in time. I had to be really fast. I jumped directly off of the railing, and down onto the floor. I faintly heard someone calling my fake name, but I ignored them.

"Naruto!"

_Don't tell me that he's…._

_Long ago, nine demons existed, walking around the place and leaving death and destruction behind them._

I landed on the hard floor. It hurt a lot. I'd like to say I was able to ignore the pain, but I wasn't. But I kept on running anyways.

_It can't be that Naruto is…!_

_Long ago, nine demons existed…._

**Inner me: Hurry the hell up! We won't be able to stop him at this slug pace!**

_...nine demons existed…._

I sped up. My leg muscles felt like they were tearing up. I was halfway to Naruto.

**Inner me: Faster, faster!**

_Naruto…. He's a…._

…_nine demons…_

I ran, faster and faster. I could probably beat a cheetah in a race right now, but I was racing against the one thing that I couldn't win against; time. I did the only thing I could do and stepped in front of Mr. Judge-Dude.

"Naruto!" I shouted. "Stop!"

But Naruto had already disappeared. I had no idea where he was.

_Naruto's a…._

"SAKURA!!!!!!!!!!!!!_" _a panicked male voice screamed from the crowd. _Sakura?_ Had I been found out?

But then I shook my head; there were more pressing matters.

_Naruto…you're a…_

I saw a flash of something, and then felt pain. A _lot_ of pain. It hurt more than the time that blade had sliced open my stomach, more than the time I'd been slammed into a tree. Claws had swiped at my chest, and they were drawing blood from it, ripping through clothes and skin alike. Red claws.

…_Jinchuuriki._

A/N: Whoa! Talk about a dramatic chapter! So, Sakura finally finds out that Naruto has a demon locked inside of him! And who was screaming Sakura's name, her real name? Will Sakura be alright?  
**Inner Sakura: Don't forget **_**me**_**! I might not have gotten a big part in this chapter, but I'm still freaking **_**there**_**, damn it!!**

What? You aren't going to say tart?  
**Inner me: DAMN YOU!!!!!!!!!**  
AHHH!! LOOK FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER!!!!!!!!!!


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: Okay, I haven't forgotten about the little kid. Actually, I'm going to use his point of view for a short little while in the beginning, so you guys will know what's going on a bit better, okay? Sorry. Oh, and also, you'll find out that the chapter title has a double meaning! Awesomeness!^^ Anyways, as always, ENJOY!!^^

Fallen

Chapter 13: Two

Little kid's POV (A Fifteen Minutes After Sakura's POV Begins, Ahead of This)

I opened my eyes, lying on a stretcher in a white room. It was too white for my tastes, but what was I to do? I took a glance at my body. It was in ruin. Blood-stained bandages covered my wounds all over. I didn't feel any of the pain, though. I never did.

I looked to my left, seeing the two black-cloaked figures of my comrades. I'd known they were there the whole time, but this was my first look at them.

"Hello," I said.

_Who the hell does the little brat think he _is_? Even if his IQ is a bit high…._I heard one figure think.

That's correct; I heard someone else think. It's part of my bloodline, as the last remaining descendent of the Kabuki clan. It works on every living organism capable of thinking thoughts or images. The only things that are intelligent enough to do both, but still aren't affected by my bloodline, are members of the Uchiha clan. That's why I couldn't hear the other tall figure's thoughts.

"Hello? Hello my _ass_!" said the figures whose thoughts I could hear in a rough, deep voice.

"I bet that it's blue," I said calmly. I knew better than to pick on Kisame, but it was hard not to; he was blue, so naturally, I wanted to tease him about it.

"You lost, Kyoshi!" he screeched.

_Really,_ I thought. _He doesn't have to be so noisy._

"I lost," I acknowledged. That was correct; I'd lost to the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki named Naruto Uzumaki. But I'd found something else that had interested me, too.

"Yeah, you _lost!_ And now, you can't be a fucking _contender_ anymore! Do you know how much _shit _that puts us in?!"

I sighed. He had such a filthy mouth; it was so annoying. I wanted to pop a bar of soap into it to wash it out.

"I am aware," I answered him curtly.

"'_I am aware_!'" Kisame mocked in a baby voice. "Fuck it; you're so full of shit!"

I sighed again. Did he realize how childish he looked when he acted like that? He wasn't doing anything but making himself look like a blubbering fool.

"Is that correct?" I asked politely.

"You've better have some good news for us!" Kisame spat at me. How rude. "Like, you found another Jinchuuriki or something. Otherwise, you'll-"

I interrupted him. "I might tell you what I found out when you stop making yourself look like a blubbering idiot.

I'd heard it; there was no mistaking it. There was one of those trapped into that girl. I heard one voice shouting. It had said (very vulgarly, I might add) '_WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH THIS KID?!?!?! _THIS IS SO SCREWED UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!'

Then a voice had answered it. A much more civilized and calm one, one that seemed to have more sense in it. It had said 'Stop freaking out. You're making it seem worse than it is.'

Two. There were two people in one body. And one of those people was….

"Now, listen," I said to my comrades. And they listened. After hearing what I had to say, they became excited. We'd found another target.

Sakura's POV

I looked down. Dark red blood was seeping out of the long slashes that Naruto had made with his claws. Yeah, that's right; his claws.

Naruto was a Jinchuuriki.

I couldn't believe it; it was too hard to believe. Naruto, sweet, innocent, hyper-active Naruto, had a demon concealed inside of his body.

**Inner me: Do you hate him?**

…_No._

**Inner me: Are you afraid of him?**

…_No._

**Inner me: Don't lie.**

_Fine, then. Yes; I am afraid of him._

**Inner me: Do you think he's a monster?**

_No._

**Inner me: Do you still want to be his friend?**

…_Yes._

**Inner me: Then why are you so unsure?**

…_._

**Inner me: You're afraid. **

…_._

**Inner me: Are you going to shun him?**

…_._

**Inner me: You feel the pain he's given you. That wound. It hurts. Are you going to blame him for it?**

…_No._

**Inner me: I can't hear you.**

_No._

**Inner me: What was that?**

_NO!_

**Inner me: Why?**

_Because the one who hurt me wasn't Naruto! It was that demon inside of him! That demon did it! And I don't even hate _him._ Naruto is still Naruto and Naruto is my friend!_

**Inner me: Good. Now stop blabbering on to me and go to your friend, you **_**DUMB-ASS!**_

I did what I was told. Naruto was still standing there, in his cloak of chakra. He looked at me, and the blood that was dripping down my front. Then he looked confused.

"Saori-chan?" he asked.

I nodded, smiling.

"Naruto!" I shouted, loudly and exuberantly. "Congratulations, Naruto! You won! So you can stop fighting now!"

I saw Tsunade-sama gazing at me, sweat dropping slightly. "Um, Saori Aero, I don't know if that's a good idea…-"

The cloak around Naruto disappeared, and his eyes were blue again.

_He's back to normal!_

"Hey, Saori-chan!" he said, happily waving at me.

"Hi, Naruto! Congrats on winning! But maybe you should go to the infirmary with the other guy," I pointed to the little kid, who was being taken away by medic Ninjas."

"EH?!" Naruto seemed really surprised. "I won, Saori-chan?!"

He doesn't remember?

Inner me: Doesn't look like it.

"Yeah!" I said. "You pulled out some serious butt-whooping! I mean," I began to punch and kick the air around me. "You were like 'BAM!' and 'POW!' and he was knocked out!"

Naruto grinned. "Really?" he asked. "I mean, yeah! Of course I was awesome! I'm the future Hokage after all!"

Naruto went back upstairs, ignoring my suggestion to go with the medics. I fallowed. Sasuke-kun was staring at me, and then I remembered. Someone had shouted my name. And suddenly I recognized whose voice that was.

I turned to him.

"Hey," I said to him. "Did you call me Sakura, Sasuke-kun?" I asked.

He nodded.

"Why?" I asked. I fixed my face into a confused expression.

"I didn't mean to," he muttered. "I just got a bit mixed up, you know."

I nodded sympathetically. I knew, all right.

"It's okay," I said. I faced the board and noticed that my crest was showing. I tucked it into my shirt safely before Sasuke-kun could notice it.

**Inner me: God damn it! Be more careful, Sakura!**

_Sorry!_

Tsunade-sama pushed the button. My fake name turned up; Saori Aero. And so did another one…Saori Aero.

**Inner me: WHAT THE HELL?!?!?!**

_W-what?_

Then a girl in the crowd raised her hand.

"I'm sorry," she said. "But I think that you've made some mistake. You put down my name twice."

**Inner me: **_**WHAT THE FLIPPING MOTHER OF FUCKING TARTS IS GOING ON?!?!?!**_

A/N: Okay, there's 13!^^ Did you like it? If you did, could you review? Pretty please??? If you didn't, could you review anyways? You can say harsh stuff, if you want. It just makes me happy to know people have bothered to type a review~!^^ Wait for number 14, kay?^^


	14. Chapter 14

Fallen

Chapter 14

Sakura's POV

A girl in the crowd raised her hand.

"I'm sorry," she said. "But I think there's been a mistake. You've put my name down twice."

**Inner me: **_**WHAT THE FLIPPING MOTHER OF FUCKING TARTS IS GOING ON?!?!?!**_

I stared. My fake name was somebody else's…real name?

**Inner me: Like I said, **_**WHAT THE FLIPPING MOTHER OF FU-**_

_Oh, shut up! _

I saw my friends looking back and forth between me and the other person who shared my name. I walked down to the bottom, to show the other girl there wasn't a mistake. Apparently getting it, she came down, too.

The crowd was muttering and whispering quietly.

"Oh, shut up, you damned loudmouths!" Tsunade-sama screamed at the crowd. They did.

I sweat dropped.

**Inner me: Only to be expected from **_**our**_** sensei!**

"As you can see," Tsunade-sama continued. "There are two Saori Aero's here. So _shut the fuck up!_"

The person standing in front of me smiled. At least we didn't look alike. She was a pretty girl; tall, slim, with red-brown hair and brown eyes.

"Um, hi," she said awkwardly. "I'm Saori Aero. Nice to meet you," she said.

"Hi," I said, smiling politely. "I'm Saori Aero, too. It's nice to meet _you_!"

"This is so _weird_!" she said, apparently letting go of her awkward feelings at my sign of friendliness. "It's like a _major_ coincidence!"

**Inner me: Hmph! Hasn't she ever read **_**xxxHolic**_**? There's no such thing as coincidences,**_** IDIOT**_**!**

_Don't be so mean!_

**Inner me: What? It's not like the girl can hear me, anyways.**

"Good luck, Saori!" she said.

**Inner me: How **_**dare**_** she not use a suffix on a stranger?!**

"Do your best, okay? But I'm going to do my best, too. I won't hold back!" other Saori said to me.

**Inner me: Heh! We'd **_**never**_** lose to a scrawny giant like you, you copy-cat!**

I didn't say anything. I wasn't sure if I should or shouldn't; it all depended on her level of skill.

The whistle blew, and she attacked first. I didn't. I just sat and waited for her to come to me.

She took out a shuriken, and threw it at me. It doubled into two shuriken and doubled again as it sped towards me, until it was hundreds of shuriken flying at me from everywhere.

**Inner me: Ha! What a lame genjutsu! Break it, Sakura!**

I didn't break it; I didn't need to. I already knew which one was the original one. I caught it and threw it back at her, letting the others go past me.

"Oh! My genjutsu!" she whined as she dodged my shuriken.

"Just kidding!" she whispered. I whirled around in time to see the hundreds of shuriken rushing towards me like a boomerang.

**Inner me: Oh, SHIT! They were real! **

They hit. All of them. Blood spattered on the ground. I was already wounded twice, both serious. Now I had over fifty more wounds to deal with. The rest whistled past me, landing on the ground with a clatter.

It hurt. One by itself didn't do much, but when you added it all together like this….

**Inner me: Oh, suck it up, Sakura! It doesn't hurt that bad! It missed all of your vitals!**

_Yeah, _I agreed_. We've probably been through worse. Naruto's hurt ten times this._

**Inner me: But we've still got that.**

_You just had to be negative._

**Inner me: Well, it's the truth!**

"Heh!" Saori said. "You fell for that way too easily. You're already injured, too. Why don't you just give up to save yourself from any more pain?"

**Inner me: DAMN THAT BITCHY LITTLE SON OF A-**

_Tart?_

**Inner me: GRRR!**

_Don't worry!_ I thought. _We'll_ _do fine, because you're there to help, right?_

**Inner me: …Sakura….**

_Let's go!_

I smiled, not wincing in the slightest despite all of the pain my body was going through. "Sorry, Saori!" I said cheerfully. "But I can't do that."

Saori made a sour face, contorting her sweet features. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah," I said.

"Hmph! Fine," she said. "But I won't stop, no matter _how_ much you beg."

"Deal!" I said.

She charged again. I focused chakra into my fist. Any second now….

She threw a sword, and that doubled, too. It multiplied, but continued to fly at me.

**Inner me: It looks like her weapons all fallow you until it hits something. Be careful,** **Sakura!**

_I've heard you say those last three words way too many times, you know that?_

**Inner me: I know better than anyone else.**

_Now!_

I jumped above her and the blades, which quickly fallowed. Then I grabbed a hold of her with my chakra-focused fist, and twisted her arm behind her back. I was behind her. The blades were in front. If they didn't stop, they'd get us both. It all depended on her.

They kept on going.

"Don't think you can make a replacement while I have a hold on you," I warned her. She began to sweat, and I could tell she'd been thinking of making one.

"Damn it!" she said. The swords stopped.

I pressed her pressure point on her neck, and she fell unconscious. The whistle blew

**Inner me: You won, Sakura!**

_I did, didn't I?_

**Inner me: Of course you did, you idiot! You're me, after all!**

I giggled out loud, while I headed upstairs to join my friends. The medics were trying to bring me with them, but I flat out refused. I wanted to see all of the matches. Then I could visit Hinata and Tenten and the others. The next battle was the last; Sasuke-kun's turn.

Sasuke's POV (During Sakura's Battle)

While Saori headed down to meet her opponent, I was thinking about her question.

"_Why did you call me Sakura, Sasuke-kun?"_

When she'd jumped off of that railing, I'd seen the necklace that she'd been hiding during practice. I _saw_ it. And I recognized it for what it was; the Haruno crest. The same Haruno family that my deceased best friend had been a part of.

And then it clicked.

I finally realized why she looked so damn like her, and acted the same way as her, and even called me the same thing as her. I now knew that she hadn't dyed her hair, why her eyes and expressions were so painfully familiar, that her favorite color was actually green, that she had two boy friends as a kid by the names of Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha.

Now I know why she always looks at Naruto with such gentle expressions, why she hugged him, why she didn't say no to go on that date with him for ramen. I knew why she never talked about her family, why she had interrupted Kakashi when he was about to let something slip, why I liked her so fucking much.

Because, she wasn't Saori Aero. She was Sakura Haruno, the supposedly dead girl who'd died five years ago.

But a lot of things still didn't make sense. Why did she seem to know nothing about Konoha when she'd arrived? Why had she taken so long to arrive in the first place? Why did she hide her identity from us, her friends? Or had she already told Naruto and Kakashi, and just left me out? Tsunade definitely knew; she was the Hokage.

The questions that I had just answered were now turning into new ones, and more. I had no idea what the situation was for a lot of things. What the heck was going on? And since when was Sakura, weak and slow little Sakura, so strong?

That one time that we'd fought against each other, when she had fought against Kakashi, and even Naruto. The Sakura I remembered didn't have that kind of power. I doubt she could've defeat an apple, the way she was. But now, there was a huge change in that area.

The best option was to pretend that I didn't know anything about it. I would probably learn more that way.

And so, I would act like I usually did around Sakura-I mean Saori. But how did I usually act in front of her? Well, I'd figure that out later. Right now, I just had to try and stick with the plan.

A/N: Hi you guys! That's the end of this chapter! Please review!


	15. Chapter 15

Fallen

Chapter 15: End of the beginning.

Sakura's POV

Sasuke-kun was up against a tiny, skinny, shady-looking dude. I was worried. For some reason, the tiny ones (with the exception of the black-cloaked dudes, who weren't really tiny) always seemed the like the strongest.

I was worried for nothing, though; Sasuke-kun was done in five minutes. He had beaten puny to a pulpy puny, who was in serious condition on his way to the infirmary. Tsunade-sama stepped up and called down all of the winners.

When I went with them, huge black dots popped up before my eyes. I stopped, surprised. Then I realized what was going on; I'd lost too much blood.

I'd healed up the shuriken wounds, but I left the other two alone; they'd need to be disinfected before I healed them. I blinked, trying to get the dots out of my eyes.

**Inner me: That's right. Now's not the time to be passing out.**

_Is there ever a time to pass out?_

**Inner me: Sure there is.**

I walked down, and stood in a line with everybody else. They passed a basket full of pieces of paper around. When I drew mine, it said the number seven.

**Inner me: It probably has to do with the continuation of the tournament. It'll be bad if we keep on fighting. We're really beat up.**

_That's an understatement,_ I thought. _But you're probably right about the continuation part._

I was in between Naruto and Sasuke-kun. They each got a number also; Naruto got one, and Sasuke-kun got four.

"Hey, Sasuke-kun?" I asked him. "What do you think these are for?"

Sasuke-kun gave me a funny look, different from his normal bored one. But I couldn't really register what it meant.

"Hn," he said. "You'll see."

_What's up with him?_

**Inner me: Maybe he has PMS?  
**_He's a _guy!

**Inner me: So what?  
**_You're such an idiot!_

**Inner me: I dare you to say that again!**

_Alright, I will! You're such an idiot!_

**Inner me: I can't believe you actually said it again!**

_You dared me to, you _tart!

**Inner me: Don't **_**you**_** tart **_**me**_**!**

_That doesn't even make sense!_

We had to end our fight because Tsunade-sama began to speak.

"Alright," she said. "As you've noticed, all of you have gotten a piece of paper with a number on it. That will determine when and who you're next round in the tournament will be with. Got it?"

I nodded with the rest.

"The next tournament will take place in two weeks; you'll have that much time to train, heal up, eat ramen," she looked at Naruto. "Or do whatever else you want. Just don't come complaining to me that you didn't have enough time to train when you just sat there eating, understand?"

Everyone nodded again.

"Alright," Tsunade-sama said. "You will show your number and say your full name to this ANBU member," she nodded to a guy in a mask who was holding a clipboard. "He will record it down. When he's finished, he will show you all the tournament set. Stay put until you are dismissed."

We all did as we were told. When the ANBU had finished, he held up the clipboard for all of us to see. I wasn't battling until the seventh battle. And I was up against one of the black-cloaked people. This one called himself…Chianti Usagi.

**Inner me: His last name means rabbit! **_**OH MY GOD!!!**_

She started laughing hysterically until I reminded her.

_He won't be nearly as gentle as one, though._

She shut up. For once.

**Inner me: What do you mean, **_**'for once'**_**?!?!?! I'm a very quiet person, thank you very much!**

She didn't shut up for long, though.

Tsunade-sama dismissed us and I began to walk out of the building. Then a strong arm caught mine and yanked me back.

"Ouch! _Hey!_" I shouted angrily at the person who'd done that, whirling around to face them.

It was Sasuke-kun.

"Come on," he said. And he began to drag me in the opposite direction of where I had been heading.

"What are you doing?" I asked him, trying to squirm out of his grasp. I regretted it; the black dots came back again and my head started spinning. I put a hand on my head.

"Don't you want to see the rest of your friends? He asked me.

_That's right!_ I remembered. _Hinata and Tenten!_

"Oh, yeah," I said. I stopped fighting against him and he let go. We went to the infirmary where Hinata, Tenten, Lee, Kiba and Akamaru, and the rest of the people were.

Even Naruto's opponent was there, lying in a bed. His team mates in the black cloaks were having a discussion amongst themselves, but all three looked up when we came in. And they looked directly at me.

**Inner me: **_**US!**_** They looked directly at **_**US!**_

_Those guys are so suspicious,_ I thought, ignoring inner me.

**Inner me: _Duh._**

I looked back at them. The kid narrowed his eyes at exactly the same time I had finished my thought.

_What's with him? _I wondered. _Why is he looking at_ me_? He did the same thing before his battle with Naruto, too. It's so weird…._

**Inner me: He's looking at **_**us**_** because we're so damn beautiful, HELL YEAH!**

Maybe it was just my imagination, but I could've sworn I'd heard a _snort_ from the little kid's direction.

_We're not beautiful,_ I thought. I'd never thought that I was pretty once. I never saw any reason to. _But more importantly, we need to keep an eye out for him and his friends._

**Inner me: I DON'T WANT TO HEAR THAT FROM **_**YOU!!! **_**But yeah, we need to be careful.**

I walked over to my friends and greeted them, but never really stopped thinking about the other, much shadier people in that very same room.

Kyoshi's (Little kid's) POV

That person, the young girl with pink hair, walked into the infirmary trailed by some of her friends. That girl with one of_ those_ inside of her.

Kisame and Itachi, still in their black cloaks, were discussing tactics to capture both the girl and the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki. They wanted both, badly.

They decided that Kisame would be in charge of the girl's capture, since she was going to battle him in the fourth and final trial of the chunin exams. That way, they believed, it would all be simple and quick without as much of a ruckus.

I listened to that girl's and that _thing's_ thoughts as they were in here. Both of them were thinking about us; they had noticed that we weren't ordinary at all. She flatters me, but it is the truth, so what else can I say?

They were getting suspicious. Of course, I knew we were conspicuous. We were all extremely powerful ninjas in big, dark cloaks. It was only natural not to trust us in the least.

I had suggested we just transform, but Kisame disagreed with this plan. He decided that we should transform (excluding me) and wear the big black cloaks (which are much too big for me, I might add. That is why I had to wear stilts with them, whereas Kisame and Itachi are tall enough for them to fit).

And since Kisame is such a stubborn mule (or should I say shark?) he wouldn't change his mind until we (that is to say I, seeing as Itachi didn't care) agreed to his simple-minded plans. And here was the result; one of our targets was already suspicious of us.

She wasn't a Jinchuuriki; she was something that was even rarer than that. And so that was why Kisame and Itachi were so set on getting her. She had a vast amount of power; more than she herself knew she had. And they wanted to get it, even I wanted to. It was for the Akatsuki. For _us_.

A/N: Alright, there's chapter 15. Ah, I can't help but like Kyoshi. How about you guys? He reminds me of one of my favorite characters from this one manga, even though I didn't really base him on anyone in particular. Anyways, please review, okay? I know I'm bad, so it's completely fine to put harsh comments on, too. Just tell me how you really feel about it, please? Okay, see you in the next chapter!^^

**Inner Sakura: YOU'D BETTER GIVE ME A DAMN BIG PART, **_**GOT IT?!?!?!**_

Um, we'll see. Bye!^^


	16. Chapter 16

Fallen

Chapter 16: Interrogate. Inner Sakura, what are your secrets?

Sakura's POV

Three days after the third trial, I wanted to train. I wanted to get stronger; I needed to in order to beat my opponent. And I only had two weeks, so it was obvious to me that slacking off definitely wasn't an option.

Kakashi, Tsunade-sama, and Naruto had different ideas, though.

"Saori!" Tsunade-sama said to me sharply. She didn't use my real name because we weren't completely alone; Naruto and Kakashi were there with us in my hospital room. "You have lost way too much blood to be aloud to move around! I'm going to keep you in the hospital, got it? If you don't cooperate, I'll knock you out!" she warned, holding up a single finger threateningly.

I eyed it wearily. Tsunade-sama could damage a lot with that one finger of hers.

**Inner me: You'd better listen to her, Sakura. I don't want to wake up with a huge crack in our skull.**

"Saori-chan!" said Naruto. "You shouldn't move around!"

_He's one to talk. _

Even though he'd gotten so many injuries from that little kid, he still insisted on training and moving around, and eating ramen.

_I _told _him that ramen won't heal any of his injuries!_

**Inner me: Yeah. And he said that we'd be surprised; 'ramen works miracles!' or something like that.**

"Hey, Kakashi-sensei?" I asked, curiosity getting to me. "Where's Sasuke-kun?"

The only member of my team who wasn't there was Sasuke-kun. Not that I expected him to waste his time on me, but I still found it weird that I hadn't seen him at all since the third trial.

"He's training for the tournament," Kakashi-sensei answered.

**Inner me: Of course he is, Sakura. I mean, little genius can't go a day without training** **because of his horrible skills!**

_Don't be sarcastic._

**Inner me: I can be sarcastic if I want.**

_Don't insult Sasuke-kun! What has he done to us?_

**Inner me: HE CALLED US **_**PINKY!**_  
_And you that you'd gotten over it! You said that times change!_

**Inner me: Yeah? Well, Sakura, they changed again.**

_You're impossible._

**Inner me: Of course I am. **

"Well, could you two tell him that I said hi?" I asked Kakashi and Naruto.

"Sure we can!" said Naruto. Kakashi smiled under his mask, and I took that as a 'yes'.

"Thanks," I said.

"Sorry, Saori-chan," Naruto apologized. "Kakashi-sensei needs to train me now. Are you ready, Kakashi-sensei?"

"Yeah," said Kakashi sensei, pulling out a book that I'd seen many times. "See you later, Saori."

And they both left.

"Sorry, Sakura," said Tsunade-sama once they'd gone. "I have to go, too. Bye!"

And I was left all alone. Tsunade-sama had closed the door behind her, leaving me in the bare white room. I was in a bed next to a window, and all I really had to do was think and sleep while the others were away.

But then I thought of something I could do.

_Hey._

**Inner me: What?**  
_I want to talk to you_.

**Inner me: You just did, idiot.**

I rolled my eyes. _I want to ask you something while we have no interruptions._

**Inner me: I'll decide what I do. Now you just ask them.**

I leaned back into my bed and got myself comfortable.

_You know something, don't you?_

**Inner me: Obviously, or else I wouldn't be able to talk to you, would I?**  
_You know something about what happened to us before I lost my memories._

**Inner me: What gives you that idea?**  
_Ever since we've gotten into Konoha... no, actually it was ever since right before we got into Konoha, you've been acting suspiciously. You've been acting like you knew more about some things than I did, which confuses me. I mean, you're always saying that we're the same person, right? So wouldn't we have the same knowledge capability as the other?_

Inner me didn't say anything. I went on.

_So, the only answer I could come up with was that you remembered things that I didn't; you knew things I've been wondering about for as long as I can remember, literally. _

**Inner me: ….**

_You know that I've always been wondering why we can both think of our own free will, why it's almost like there is two people in this body we're both in. But I always thought that there was some logical explanation, like I have two brains or something like that. But I don't _have _two brains. So why are you able to think on your own?_

**Inner me: ….**

_And…I've noticed something else, too_, I went on.

Different emotions were coursing through me; curiosity, anxiety, wonder, happiness, excitement, foreboding, and a bit of regret. I was afraid of ruining the sister-like relationship I had with Inner me (I know, it's weird to have a sister-like relationship with yourself, right?). But I _had_ to get to the bottom of this. I had to understand what was going on.

_You seem to be able to read everything that I'm thinking, even if I'm not thinking it directly to you or if I'm not even thinking it directly at all; like, I might just be feeling a little bit of a vibe about this one thing, but you'll notice it. You'll understand it. But why can I only hear your thoughts only when you're thinking something directly to me, with the intention of making me hear it? _

**Inner me: ….**

_It was like you knew where we were when we first came across Konoha. It was like you already knew that Naruto was a…a…a Jinchuuriki. And like you already knew I was friends with Sasuke-kun. It was as if you already knew how my parents had died, who they were, and everything else. _

**Inner me: Sakura…not-**

_Not what?! Don't tell me you're going to say 'this isn't the right time to talk about it, Sakura,' or something like that! If now, when I don't have any other things to do or anyone else around, isn't a good time, then when is?!_

**Inner me: Sakura….**

_Well? Are you going to tell me or will I have to wonder about this for the rest of my life?! Are you just going to leave me in the dark about everything?! We're supposed to be the same person! Why can't you just tell me?!?!_

**Inner me: Sakura, just be quiet for a second!**

Inner me sounded uncharacteristically serious, but also a bit angry. I obeyed, waiting for her to say/think something.

**Inner me: Sakura, look. I know that you've been thinking about this stuff ever since we arrived right outside of Konoha gate. I know that, but have you ever thought that maybe it would be **_**better**_** if I didn't tell you anything? Maybe you **_**don't**_** want to know?**

_I know what I want to know._

**Inner me: Look. I know you want to hear about it right now, but I also know that you'll regret hearing it once you have! I don't want to do that kind of thing to you.**

…_Isn't there anything that you could explain? Can you at least give me a hint? Please?  
_**Inner me: …Sakura, we both know that we're…you're a smart person. We both do. So you do understand that one hint might give you enough information to figure the truth out?**

…_please?_

Inner me sighed.

**Inner me: Fine. One hint, but that's it. Got it?**

_Yeah._

**Inner me: Alright. Here it is.**

My heart began to pound fast. At least she was cooperating a little bit.

**Inner me: You are me. But I'm not you. We are the same person, but at the same time we aren't.**

…_What? Is this some kind of riddle?_

Inner me didn't answer.

_I hate riddles…but that doesn't matter! I'll find things out somehow!_ I told her, with new determination. I had a _hint_, even if I didn't have a clue what the hell it meant!

**Inner me: Now get some rest or I'll give you the worse headache you've ever felt in your life!**

_You can't hurt me! You'll get hurt too!_

**Inner me: I'll live.**

_Then I'll live, too._

**Inner me: I WASN'T TRYING TO KILL YOU, YOU IDIOT!!!  
**_Are you sure?_ I asked suspiciously.

**Inner me: WHY WOULDN'T I BE, DAMN **_**YOU!**_

_Hmm…? You told me to get rest, but now you're shouting in my ear. You weirdo._

**Inner me: DAMN YOU,**_** SAKURA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**_

_If you damn me, you're damning yourself, too. You know that, right?_

**Inner me: GGGGGGGGGGRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**

I giggled. _It's nice to have you back._

**Inner me: Idiot. I never left.**

_Whatever._

**Inner me: DON'T YOU WHATEVER ME, YOU DAMNED **_**TART!**_** NOW GO TO FUCKING **_**SLEEP!**_

I did, with the plan of asking Tsunade-sama a favor when she came by next time.

The next day, when Tsunade-sama came, I asked her to do me a favor.

"What is it?" she asked. "Don't think that I'm going to let you out of the hospital, if that's what you're thinking."

"No, Tsunade-sama," I said. "Actually, I was wondering if you could bring me some written information on myself, you know," I lowered my voice, "Sakura Haruno."

"Why?" she asked.

"Because I want to get to know my younger-self," I answered innocently. "I just wanted to see if I could kick in any memories with the free time that I have."

"…Okay," said Tsunade-sama. "I'm too busy to bring it to you myself, so I'll have Shizune bring it for me," she said.

"Thank you very much, Tsunade-sama," I said.

She smiled and left.

**Inner me: You know, I think that Shizune is more busy that Tsunade herself! I mean, she's always pushing the little jobs onto her.**

_I don't think so,_ I said. _There's probably more to her job than paperwork._

Three hours later, Shizune brought me four thick files, and a medium-sized book.

"Hi, Sakura," she greeted. "I've brought your stuff," she sat the things on my lap gently.

"Those are the files of your family members," she pointed to the four thick things. "And that," she pointed to the book. "Is information about…well, you'll see."

She left, and I opened the first file, which was Dad's.

Time to get to know my family! I thought.

A/N: There's number 16! Hope you liked it!^^ Please, please review!

**Inner Sakura: HEY! WHY WON'T YOU SAY SOMETHING MORE ABOUT ME!  
**Why should I? -.-'

**Inner Sakura: DUH! I'M THE MAIN CHARACTER!**

No, Sakura's the main character.

**Inner Sakura: WE'RE THE SAME PERSON!**

Whatever.

**Inner Sakura: ENOUGH OF THE WHATEVERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LOOK OUT FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER!**

Why are you shouting?

**Inner Sakura: BECAUSE I CAN!**


	17. Chapter 17

Fallen

Chapter 17: Quality time with the family

My dad's picture was on top. He looked the same as the family picture in my house; tall, proud, red-haired, and tough-looking. But he wasn't smiling in this photo. He had a blank, unreadable expression fit for a shinobi.

I began to read his basic profile. His name was Fein Haruno. The entire first few pages talked about were things that you would want to know when looking for somebody to give a job to. It was showing his general health, weight, abilities, looks, non-skills, and that kind of thing.

The next fifty pages or so were going on and on about his missions, which were barely ever failures.

**Inner me: Top notch, huh? So not like you, obviously.**

I was too engrossed in reading about him to care about anything Inner me decided to say. I had much more interesting things to concentrate on.

The last page described his life. His first team consisted of a jounin named Sera, a woman, and two other genins named Suki and Kirin.

**Inner me: Hah! That's rare! The guy was the only guy on the team!**

Then it went up to go how he married Suki, who turned out to give birth to a boy named Keota and a girl named Sakura two years later.

"_Daddy!" a little girl's voice called. _

I was remembering my past again. That voice was mine. I saw a big, familiar figure, crouching down to get closer to my level.

"_Daddy, I want to be strong just like you when I become a ninja!"_

_A deep voice laughed. _

Was it my dad's voice? I hadn't heard it before.

"_You'll be even stronger than I am, sweaty!" the voice deep declared. "You'll become the best ninja ever! I know it!"_

"_Really?" I asked him in awe. "Oh, but what about Keota? He's a lot stronger than me," I mumbled dejectedly. _

"_You're going to catch up!" he assured me. "You'll both be the best in the world!"_

I finally ended the file. It was two hours after I'd started, according to the clock on my bed-side table.

I picked up the next file and began to read that, too. This one was a lot less thick than my dads. I opened it, and saw a picture of my brother; Keota. He was smiling, unlike my dad had been. He was wearing a Konoha forehead protector just like Naruto's and Sasuke-kun's, grinning proudly at me.

I read his profile. I could've skipped it, but I wanted to know everything I could about him. He was my brother. I wanted to remember him, a lot. What came after the profile sent a small stab to my heart; there was only a single mission for him. He'd been sent to catch somebody's cat.

"…_Sakura! Who's that?" a young boy's voice asked. The boy bent down, facing me, his red hair falling all over the place. "Who're they?"_

_Out of the corners of my eyes, I saw a figure on each side of me. I couldn't tell who they were, though._

"_This is Sasuke-kun!" I said, turning to face the figure on my right. A younger Sasuke-kun, one who wasn't wearing a Konoha forehead protector, was looking at me, and then at my brother calmly. It was like he never got nervous._

"_Hi," he said._

"_And this is Naruto!" I said, turning to the person on my left, a younger version of Naruto. He was grinning broadly._

"_Nice to meet you!" he said loudly._

"_Why'd you bring them home?" he asked suspiciously._

"_I wanted them to play at our house!" I said cheerfully. "Come on, Sasuke-kun, Naruto! Let's go outside and play!"  
"W-wait!" Keota said. "I'm coming with you!"_

_I looked at him, surprised. "Why?"_

"_Because…uh…there have been some bad guys around lately, so you'll need someone to keep an eye out for you!" he said. He didn't look me in the eye; it was pretty obvious he was lying._

_I didn't seem to notice though. "Really?" I looked at Sasuke-kun and Naruto. "Let's bring him, guys!"_

"_Hn," Sasuke-kun said._

"_Sure!" said Naruto, beaming._

The memory ended.

_He seemed to be the protective type…,_ I thought fondly.

**Inner me: Yeah.**

_I don't know him too well…,_ I said, trying to express what I was feeling. _But I feel like I really miss him…._

**Inner me: Because you're a softie.**

_I'd rather feel like this than feel nothing._

**Inner me: You're a softie and a weirdo. This file's done. Let's check out the other ones.**

I closed the file and put it on top of my dad's. Then I picked up the next one. The picture showed a beautiful woman, the same one I'd seen in the family picture. I gazed at her. She was straight faced in here, like my dad. But her eyes were smiling even though her lips weren't. She was still showing emotion.

I read her profile, and looked at her missions. It looked as if she'd been even better than my dad. She'd taken a lot of S-rank missions pretty early in life, all things considered.

I reached the last sheet of paper; one describing a mission where she captured a rouge ninja in the Mist.

"_Sakura!" a woman's voice said. "What do you want for lunch?"_

"_Um…," I said, thinking hard. "I want pasta!"  
"Alright, then," said my mom, smiling gently at me. _

_She began to get the ingredients out when I suddenly said, "Let me help!"_

_She looked at me in surprise, but nodded and said, "Come over here and wash your hands, then."_

_I did as I was told and began to help her cook, pouring in the solid noodles into the pot, watching with excitement in my eyes._

The file was finished, again.

_The last one must be me._

**Inner me: **_**Us,**_** damn it! And it's kind of weird that you're only remembering this stuff at the end of the files.**

I shrugged. _Weird things are normal when you're involved._

**Inner me: WHAT WAS **_**THAT?!**_

I ignored her and opened it. I set my eyes on a younger me. I had the same hair; short and bubble gum pink. My eyes were the same as always, and I was too young to know better than to smile. There was only a description in here; it looked as if I'd never even made it to being on a team.

I read it. It told me my weight, health, abilities (which were apparently above average) and such. But that was it. I didn't learn anything about me other than basic, unimportant information.

I set my own file on top of the others, and took the book into my hands. It was light, despite the fact it wasn't tiny. It wasn't especially big, either; like I'd said, it was medium.

The cover was black, and didn't have too many words on it, just these;

The Haruno Family's Murder

By: Feere Urpauhnts

A/N: Sakura's about to open the file of her family's murder case! What will she find? Review please!

**Inner Sakura: Hold it, hold it, **_**HOLD IT**_**!**

What?

**Inner Sakura: You're forgetting something!  
**What is it this time?

**Inner Sakura: You forgot to mention that Sasuke already has a theory, and the next chapter might give you some ideas of whether or not it's right!**

Uh, they probably already knew that. -.-'

**Inner me: I know! But, just in case they'd forgotten….**

Look out for the next chapter!^^


	18. Chapter 18

Fallen

Chapter 18: Lost Times

Feere Urpauhnts, was it? The name sounded strange…the first name sounded like fear. Was that an omen?

**Inner me: Are you going superstitious on me?**

_I don't know…maybe. Why? Do you have a problem with being superstitious?_

**Inner me: No.**

_Then why did you ask?_

**Inner me: …Hmph. Why do you care?**

_I don't._

**Inner me: Hah! Then why did you ask?**

_You're so childish._

I opened it, a feeling of foreboding growing in the pit of my stomach.

I began to read. It was written by hand in thin, neat writing. It said:

_The strongest family in the Haruno clan was murdered at approximately 11:25 PM late last night. The members of this family are ANBU members Fein and Suki Haruno, and their children, Keota and Sakura Haruno. _

_The reasons for their murder are unknown. It is shown that the Haruno family put up a fight, but was ultimately defeated._

_The entire Uchiha clan, excluding the younger brother of their head family (Sasuke Uchiha) and their murderer, and older brother of the sole survivor, Itachi Uchiha, formerly a prominent member of the ANBU, had been murdered that very same night at approxamately 10: 05 that very same night. His where abouts are unknown. _

_A team of ninjas specializing in detective work are investigating right now._

_-Feere Urpauhnts, June 9._

**Inner me: So…?**

_I guess we'll have to read more to find out the more important details._

And so I began to read again.

_The team of detective ninjas has made a report. _

_They say that the members of the family had been murdered in a different manor than the Uchiha clan had. The deceased Uchiha members had been killed, but their bodies remain whole. This is differing from the attack on the Haruno family, suggesting that the killer could have been a different person. Detectives will look farther into the matter._

_Suki Haruno had been decapitated, the detectives assume, along with her hand. They inferred by the way her arm had been raised that she had attempted to protect her face with the hand, and it had been removed at the same time as her head._

I stopped reading for a second. I felt like I was about to throw up the jello that the nurses had given me for dinner.

_She'd been missing _body parts?!

Inner me sounded disgusted.

**Inner me: It sounds like she wasn't the only one. Keep reading, go on**.

I listened to her, refusing the side of me who wanted to throw the book across the room.

_Fein Haruno is mostly together. He was ripped in half horizontally at his waist. The detectives say that he was the first to be killed._

_Keota Haruno was the most difficult to recognize, but medical experts were able to piece him back together enough to recognize him for being Keota Haruno._

I dropped the book before reading anymore. This time I did throw up, right over the side of my bed.

_He…he was…!_

**Inner me: …Sakura….**

_He was so torn apart they had a hard time _recognizing_ him?!?!_

**Inner me: ….**

I began to run my hand through my pink hair. I was having another flashback.

"_Stop it!" Keota's voice was desperately shrieking. "Leave them alone!"_

It was the first of my flashbacks, repeating itself.

_A man's voice screamed in sheer agony, and then he was silent._

Was that my dad?

_A woman's voice screamed in horror. _  
I knew that had been my mom's.

"_Don't do it! Leave them alone!" my mother begged. "Please! Please stop! I'll do anything!" She continued to plead until she screamed, this time in agony, and became silent too._

_Keota screamed. He shrieked and I heard myself screaming with him. I heard the pain and agony in both of our voices. "Why did you do that…?" he asked. _

It sounded as if my memory had left a word out somewhere…but where?

"…_Why…?" my own voice broke through the pregnant silence. "…Why…? What did they do to you?! Why did you kill them?!" I asked the killer, whoever it was._

_Keota didn't seem to have heard me. "Why did you do that? I'll kill you…!" and Keota screamed, and I heard the quick footsteps of someone running. Then I heard a traumatizing slicing sound, and then the sound of a liquid splattering onto the ground. _

"_AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"_

The memory ended. I started shaking uncontrollably, but I didn't cry. I didn't cry…. I just felt the feeling of immense anger, sadness, anguish, and hate.

Whoever that person was had hurt them, _killed_ them…my family…the family that I could have shared so many happy times with, the family that I could be happily reliving a past that I _remembered_ with right this second.

**Inner me: Sakura. Read the rest of that book.**

_Yeah._

I picked up the book and turned to the page that I had left off on.

_However, the youngest member of the family, Sakura Haruno who was eight years old at the time, had not been lying dead with the rest of her family. Her body had disappeared without a trace. _

_The only sign that she was present at the scene is a small amount of blood found and analyzed at the sight. It is unmistakably hers._

_The detectives found no trace of another person being there at all during the time of the murder. All of the evidence shows that only the Haruno family was present. It is clear that they were up against a fearsome opponent, one who could disguise his very existence with expertise. _

_An ANBU squad has been sent out to search for Sakura Haruno, or her body. It has been seven days since then, and there is still no sign of her being anywhere near Konoha. _

_-Feere Urpauhnts, June 16._

I went to the next entry.

_The ANBU squad sent to find Sakura Haruno has been unsuccessful. They have been searching for her for six months now, and they still haven't come across a trace of the said person. They have been withdrawn; Sakura Haruno is from now on to be known as the deceased. _

_They are holding her funeral in a week's time. Her family had theirs exactly one month ago as of today. Many people came to pay their respects to the late family. The same will probably happen next week, for Sakura Haruno's funeral. Her grave is going to be empty, but it will represent her all the same. It will be next to her older brother's._

_The investigation, however, is still being continued._

_The reports have said that, somehow, it appears as if the family had been ripped apart by something, most likely hands. They have ruled out the possibility that a slicing, crushing, or any other type of known weapon had done the damage. How, they are not sure. The only one known to have such strength is the Senin Tsunade-sama._

_-Feere Urpauhnts, December 16._

_December 16…? Add another week, and that makes it December 23, which means...._

**Inner me: Tomorrow. Tomorrow is the anniversary of your funeral. **

_I want to go._

**Inner me: Why?**  
_I don't know. I just want to go._

**Inner me: …Tsunade will kill you.**

_I think she'll understand. Now I need to get someone to clean this mess up…,_ I gave a look what had been my dinner.

I pressed the button that called for a nurse. A few minutes later, someone burst into my room; Tsunade-sama.

_Perfect._

"Sakura!" she exclaimed. "What is it?"

"Um…I kind of threw up…," I said to her, pointing to the floor beside my bed.

"Oh," said Tsunade-sama, sighing. "For a second I thought it was serious…. I'll have someone come to clean this up," she told me.

Tsunade-sama turned to head out of the door.

"Wait Tsunade-sama!" I said.

She stopped and turned to face me.

"What is it?" she asked me.

"I read some of this book," I said, gesturing to the book lying in my lap. Tsunade-sama's eyes grew a bit sad. "And I would like to visit my grave tomorrow," I said.

_That sounded so weird._

**Inner me: Hell yeah, it did.**

Tsunade-sama looked surprised. "Why?" she asked.

"I know it'll be troublesome…," I began.

**Inner me: Damn, Sakura! You're talking like that pineapple head Shikamaru!**

"Because," I continued. "I feel like I should go."

Tsunade-sama scowled. "Sakura!" she said. "I can't let you, an injured patient, out of this hospital just because you feel like leaving on a whim."  
"But-"

Tsunade-sama interrupted me. "No buts," she said.

**Inner me: Haha! She said no buts!**

_You're so childish!_  
"…Please?" I asked Tsunade-sama in a begging tone. "I haven't been out of this room for over five days. I want to move around, get outside. I feel perfectly fine now!" I said, smiling at her.

Tsunade-sama sighed. "It's not a matter of you feeling fine or not. The fact is that you don't have enough blood cells at the moment. You won't be able to withstand much."

"I can take it!" I assured her. "Please, Tsunade-sama. Please let me go."

Tsunade-sama looked me in my eyes, and I looked straight back into hers, determined.

"I understand," she said. "But if I get any reason to think that you can't handle it, then you're in until I say so! I'll be assigning you a nurse to keep an eye on you. Now I'll have that mess cleaned up. It stinks!" and she left.

I grinned.

"AND GET SOME REST!" her voice bellowed at me from the hallway.

I lied back in my hospital bed and fell asleep before the nurse came in, hugging my book to my stomach.

A/N: Okay, here's another dramatic one! Sorry if it seemed a bit over it. But we're getting closer to solving some mysteries!^^ Please Review!


	19. Chapter 19

Fallen

Chapter 19: Sakura's Grave. Tut-tut, it looks like rain!

I woke up the next morning to the sun and IV's. Even though it was morning, the sun wasn't shining through my window like normal. I peeked out of it, and saw what I'd expected to see the second I noticed the absence of the sun's light; clouds. They weren't the white and puffy happy-peppy ones that you drew cute faces on. No, they were the dark, ominous clouds that looked like they were out to get you. Or in this case, Inner me.

**Inner me: What do you mean by that, DAMN IT SAKURA?!?!?!?**

_You said that the world was out to get you. Well, news flash: 'The World' includes weather._

**Inner me: Well, I LIKE THE RAIN! And I know you do too. Don't you dare deny it!**

_I'm not denying it. I love the rain. _

It was true. Somehow, the rain seemed friendlier than the sun ever had to me. It was something touchable, something I could feel and be next to. The rain always looked so lively, but so lonely. On the road, sometimes the rain had been my only friend. Well, there was always Inner me, but we have a more complicated relationship than _'friends.'_

The sun on the other hand had always been so far away; untouchable. I liked the sun. I knew that it was the reason I was here, the reason that everything was here. I knew that it was the reason plants grew and flowers bloomed. But at the same time I hated it. Why did it have to be so unfriendly, untouchable? It was alone, but not lonely. There was a difference. The sun could've let others near, but didn't. The rain tried, but wasn't accepted. Well, the rain wasn't accepted by most, at least.

**Inner me: Don't they kind of remind you of those two?**

_Which two?_

**Inner me: You're pals, Sasuke-kun and Naruto.**

_Why do they remind you of them?_

**Inner me: Their personalities. Sasuke-kun is like the sun; he's unfriendly and untouchable, distant. Naruto is the rain; he comes to you, he wants to make friends with everybody. But he's alone on the most part.**

_No. I don't think that's right._

**Inner me: Why?**  
I heard footsteps outside of my door coming towards my room.

_Because, Sasuke-kun is lonely, he just doesn't show it. And…,_ I heard the footsteps stop in front of my door. _Naruto isn't alone. He's got friends. And he's got us._

The door slid open. Tsunade-sama was standing there with a nurse behind her.  
"Saori," Tsunade-sama said. "Put on something other than that hospital outfit. You have a grave to visit."

I smiled. "Yes ma'am."

I did as I was told. The nurse gave me a pair of blue jeans and a red shirt with the Haruno crest on it. Tsunade-sama and the nurse left the room while I changed. I came out when I was ready.

_It feels good to stretch my legs!_  
**Inner me: Yeah!**

Tsunade-sama nodded in approval and gave me a quick lecture, telling me to be careful or reserve the best room available in the hospital. The nurse introduced herself as Shi and walked with me to buy some flowers (a single white rose with a pink ribbon tied around it), and then to the cemetery. It was lucky I had Shi along; I would've gotten lost without her.

Shi talked to me a bit on the way. She told me a bit about herself and how she had always dreamed of becoming a nurse, and how happy she was to have made that dream come true.

"That's great!" I smiled at her. She beamed.

**Inner me: Hmph. **_**Another**_** goody-goody two shoes. Powers in numbers, huh? **

_Oh, shut up._

Shi stopped and I did too. We were both standing in front of an intricate, iron-rot gate.

"It's a bit scary, isn't it?" Shi asked me, shivering.

"Yeah," I lied, trying to comfort her by making her think she wasn't alone.

"I'll wait out here for you, then?" she suggested hopefully. "S-so that you can have a proper visit, you know," she added.

**Inner me: Coward.**

"Okay," I nodded and opened one gate. It made a loud creaking sound.

**Inner me: I'm impressed. You aren't even a bit scared.**

_Why would I be?_  
**Inner me: Come on, Sakura. It's a graveyard. Lots of people get scared by graveyards. There's stories about ghosts, and zombies, and ghouls, and witches, and the boogie man, and the grim reaper, and moving skeletons, and creepy black cats who're really the dead souls of the departed, and devils, and vampires, and-**

_It sounds like you're one of the people who get scared of graveyards_.

**Inner me: That's so not true.**

_Whatever_, I thought back.

**Inner me: …Sakura? Let's not talk for now. Pay attention to the graves.**

_Okay._

I looked around me. Grave stones were scattered all over the place; tall and small ones, skinny and fat ones, complex and simple ones, old and younger-looking ones. I walked slowly around, reading the names on them.

So many people were buried there. I couldn't help but feel amazed. The graveyard must've been huge! There were some extremely crumbly ones that were from five-hundred years ago.

No one was around. The clouds were getting darker. Normally, people would be scared. But I felt excited.

I must've been walking around for an hour when I'd found it; a grave marked Fein Haruno. There were several slightly withered flowers and bouquets resting on it, as if some people had been there a week or so ago.

I found my mothers grave on the right to that one. Suki Haruno. Her grave had flowers on it too. And on her right was my older brother, Keota Haruno.

I knelt down to see them, avoiding the grave next to my brothers. That was probably why I didn't notice the two people standing right in front of it.

I put my hands together and closed my eyes, getting onto my knees in the respective position and began to speak to my family. Well, sort of. It's more like I thought to them.

_Hello,_ I began awkwardly. _I'm Sakura Haruno, you're family member. I'm not sure if you guys remember me, and I barely remember you…I mean, it's not that I wanted to! I had amnesia, so I can't remember a lot…I'm sorry guys. It's nice to talk to you though. And I've started to remember more about you._

_Hey, do you guys mind me asking you a personal question? _There wasn't any response. What had I been expecting, a hug and a muffled 'of course, dear'?

_Well…it's about your death,_ I went on. _Nobody knows who killed you. They'd said that they thought it had been my friend Sasuke-kun's older brother, Itachi Uchiha, but I don't think that's right…. I don't know why, but that just doesn't sound right…. Hey, could you guys please give me a clue?_

Again, there wasn't any response. Not a rustle of the wind, not a breath, not a twitter from a bird. It was utter stillness and silence. So much for a clue….

_Well, thanks anyways. Anyways, I'd like to get to know you guys better. Do you mind if I come by some other time? Um, please rest in peace. _

I opened my eyes.

**Inner me: **_**Smooth.**_

_I know. It was pathetic. But we've never visited graves before, so how was I supposed to know what to do?_ I stayed on my knees, not moving.

**Inner me: Well, I guess I can't blame you. But still I-**

Inner me was interrupted by a hand on my shoulder.

I spun around to face the hand's owner, heart racing. My hand flew to my pack to get a kunai, only to find I'd left it at the hospital.

**Inner me: Damn it!**

And then I saw who it was.

A/N: CLIFFHANGER! XD Okay, so I wanted to point out something. When Sakura asked her dead family for a clue, maybe they did give her a clue, she just didn't notice. That's all for this chapter!^^ Please review! XD


	20. Chapter 20

A/N: EH?! It's chapter 20?! 0.0 That was so fast…. . Thanks for reading up until now guys! XD Okay, last time was a CLIFFHANGER! (. I hate them too!) Who are the two people standing in front of Sakura's grave? Well, let's see what happens. And _**MAYJOR**_ thanks to all of the people who gave me such nice reviews! XD ENJOY~!

Fallen

Chapter 20: Her Grave.

**Sakura's POV**

And then I saw who it was. A drop of rain fell onto my face.

"Saori-chan!" said the person. "I was waiting for you to finish praying. But why are you here? Did you come to visit her too?"

_It's raining…_, I thought absentmindedly. I closed my eyes, feeling a few more drops fall lightly onto my skin. It felt good.

I opened my eyes to look at the person who still had their hand on my shoulder. "Her?" I asked in confusion, still kind of out of it.

**Inner me: Ugh, stop thinking about the damn **_**RAIN**_**, Sakura! Cover your shirt, damn it! They'll get suspicious if they see you wearing the _Haruno_ crest! **

_Oh, right!_ I began to panic. _With what?!_

**Inner me: Use the flower.**

_I can't use the flower! It's not big enough, and I'll have to put it down sometime!_

**Inner me: Just do it!**

But then something fell on top of me.

_A jacket?_

"It's raining, Saori-chan!" Naruto said cheerfully, and he finally let go of my shoulder. "You'd better take this or you'll catch a cold."

"Thank you," I said, slipping it on. It was warm…. "I came to visit somebody today. Well, actually, it's turned into four somebodies now. Sasuke-kun told me about how you were friends with m-Haruno-san. He said she and her family had been murdered…," I said, fixing my face into a sad expression.

And I was sad. Not about _my_ 'death', but about my family's. I didn't remember them well, but they were still my family, so….

I looked up at Naruto. He was wearing a white t-shirt, which was slowly getting wet.

"Naruto, you're getting wet!" I said, surprised.

**Inner me: Duh, he's getting wet. He just gave you his jacket, dumb ass.**  
I began to take his jacket off, but he stopped me with a hand.

"It's alright, Saori-chan," Naruto told me.

I looked up at his face. He was smiling, but something about his eyes made him look sad.

"Sasuke has an umbrella," he added.

_Eh?_ I thought. _Does that mean Sasuke-kun is here too?_

Inner me sighed.

**Inner me: Obviously, you idiot.**

I looked around and finally set my eyes on him, standing loosely in front of my grave looking as expressionless as ever. And he was holding a black umbrella.

Naruto walked over to him, and beckoned for me to come, too. I walked. It was only a few steps, but somehow it felt like I was walking miles and miles in slow motion.

I knew who's grave they were standing in front of. And I didn't want to go. Even if it was my grave, even if I had been the one who'd selfishly insisted to come here, I didn't want to go. It felt like something bad would happen when I saw it. My own grave.

But I did go. I couldn't back down now. And somehow, the thought that Sasuke-kun and Naruto were standing there, in front of the place where my empty coffin was buried, made me feel a bit better.

And so I found myself standing in front of my own grave. I tensed as I read it: Sakura Haruno (A/N: I'm not going to give birth or death dates, so just pretend there's one there, kay?) Beloved daughter, sister, and friend, rest in peace.

My grave had an angel on it, and right above my name was the Haruno crest. I looked at the angel. She was beautiful, elegantly flying. But somehow…her beauty was dark. To me it was, at least.

I bent down and laid my flower on the grave, where two others (a single red rose with a white bow tied around it and a branch off of a Cherry Blossom tree with pink Cherry Blossoms on them) lay. I didn't ask who'd bought what. I didn't need to know.

It felt nice knowing that somebody cared enough to give my grave a flower.

I clapped my hands together and got onto the muddy ground in the respective position, and closed my eyes.

Something was going to happen. And whatever it was, Inner me was keeping pretty darn quiet for it.

**Naruto's POV (at Sakura's grave before Sakura comes to visit it) **

I put down a Cherry Blossom branch onto Sakura-chan's grave. It fit her; a bit of a Sakura Tree (A/N: If you don't know, the word 'Sakura' means Cherry Blossom in Japanese) for Sakura-chan.

_Sakura-chan…._

Sakura-chan had been one of my first friends. She didn't look at me like I was a monster, while most of the village did. I didn't know why then, but I do now.

But even though most of the village hated me, she became an important person to me. A very important person.

Sasuke was my best and only friend. We were really close, but I was always stuck in that guy's shadow, always being overlooked. But Sakura-chan paid attention to me, and not the bad kind that I was used to. She played with both Sasuke _and_ me, she ate ramen at the local shop with both Sasuke _and_ me, she shared her bento with both Sasuke _and_ me, she smiled at both Sasuke _and_ me.

Sakura-chan had been friends with not just Sasuke (and that isn't something that just anybody could do), but with me, too.

When Sakura-chan died, I almost lost it. If Sasuke hadn't been there, suffering along with me, I don't know what I would've done.

Heh, well, Sasuke had his own problems to deal with (his whole clan had been murdered by his older brother on the same day Sakura-chan's family had been murdered), that guy was still suffering over Sakura-chan's death, too.

But even though I didn't lose it, it was still hard. And even right now, while I'm standing under clouds years later, it still is. It was so hard, and I hated it. Why did it have to be _Sakura-chan's_ family? Why did it have to be Sakura-chan...?

When Saori-chan first turned up, I thought she was Sakura-chan's ghost for a second. For a really wild, ramen-big second, I thought I was seeing her again.

But Saori-chan isn't a ghost. And she isn't Sakura-chan.

But I'm still surprised at how much she's like Sakura-chan. Their personalities, looks, and even habits are the same. It had almost felt like Sakura-chan had been reborn, and had come back to us.

_Almost._

But Saori-chan isn't her. She's a different person, with a different past. And unlike Sakura-chan, Saori-chan has a future….

But I'm glad I got to meet Saori-chan anyways. She's a great person to be around. Fun, pretty, active, nice…just like _she_ was.

I looked down at her grave, _Sakura-chan's_ grave.

Sasuke was looking at it too. He had this pissing-ly bored expression on his face, but the only thing keeping me from punching him in the gut was the fact that I knew better. Sasuke missed her.

Speaking of Sasuke, lately he's been acting weird. Ever since we'd gotten through the first part of chunin exam's tournament, he's been acting different somehow.

I can tell something isn't going on right. I didn't know what, but something was off. And I wanted to know what was.

"Hey, Sasuke!" I said, breaking the silence. He just looked at me. "What's going on with you?"

"…Nothing," he answered dully.

"Liar!" I said. "Something's up with you and I know it!"

"Is that right?" he asked me.

He was pissing me off!

"Yeah, it's right, you!" I yelled. "And I know it has something to do with Saori-chan!" I didn't really mean for that last sentence to come out. I hadn't actually thought about that possibility at all, and I only realized that it could be true once I'd said it.

_Weird, _I thought, sweat dropping_._

"Hn," was the informative reply that damned guy gave me.

"What?" I asked in a taunting voice. "Does cute wittle Sasuke-chan got a crush on Saori-chan?" It surprised me when I got angry when I thought of what it would be like if Sasuke did have a crush on Saori-chan. I wondered why….

"Hn. You dobe," said Sasuke.

And somehow, we both knew at that time that had meant _'yes'_.

A/N: Okay! That's the end of Chapter 20. Please review guys!^^ I _**LOVE**_ it when I get reviews!^^ They're what keep me going! XD See ya next chapter!


	21. Chapter 21

Fallen

Chapter 21: Sakura's Release. Darn Headache…!

Sakura's POV

I stayed in that position for what felt like fifteen minutes, dripping in the rain. Nothing happened. There wasn't any dramatic realization. No bird fell out of the sky and landed on my head, giving me a headache. I didn't get struck by a bolt of lightening on the spot. All I did was silently stay like that.

"Um," Naruto's voice said in a carrying whisper. "Saori-chan?"

I didn't answer or move. I needed the dramatic thing to happen…!

"Saori-chan!" Naruto whispered louder.

_Come, Oh__ dramatic thingy!_ I thought, still not moving a millimeter.

"SAORI-CHAN!" Naruto shouted. "ARE YOU OKAY?"

I couldn't help it. I twitched an eyebrow, and reluctantly opened an eye.

"Naruto," I said as calmly as I could. I wasn't angry…I was actually kind of amused. "I'm fine. Could you please let me pray in peace? I'm connecting to Haruno-san's spirit, so I need to concentrate, okay?"

I heard a snort and I opened both eyes. I turned to see Sasuke-kun, covering his mouth with a hand. Somehow, he seemed to be fighting the urge to laugh.

"What's so funny?" I asked him. I felt a little annoyed. Okay,_ very _annoyed. "I'm being serious, Sasuke-kun."

Sasuke-kun uncovered his mouth, only to show it was its normal straight line again.

"Nothing's funny," he said.

I went back to my praying.

Nothing happened, but the rain began getting harder. After an hour or so of non-dramatic-ness, I opened my eyes.

Inner me finally talked again.

**Inner me: Looks like praying isn't the answer!**

_Why do you sound so happy about it?_ I thought back, sweat dropping.

**Inner me: I don't sound happy!**

Sure_ you don't,_ I thought sarcastically.

**Inner me: A-anyways, why don't you try something else?**

_Yeah,_ I replied. _I can't give up now. There's got to be_ something _around here that'll click with me. I know there is._

I got up. The jeans that Tsunade-sama had given me were all wet and muddy…oh, well. I would just clean it whenever I was released from the hospital.

**Inner me: Do you even know how to **_**wash**_** clothes?**

_Sure I do! I declared. I've done it loads of times, remember?_

Inner me sounded skeptical.

**Inner me: That wasn't washing. That was sticking your clothes into the nearest body of water, and taking them out, and then drying them next to a campfire. **

_Well, it worked!_ I thought back defensively. _And anyways, how hard could it be to wash clothes?_

**Inner me: You'll find out someday, and I'm sure you'll be regretting those words.**

Naruto and Sasuke-kun looked at me, and became more alert. It was as if they thought I was going to leave.

_If that's what they think then they're in for a surprise._

**Inner me: Hell yeah! That's the spirit, Sakura!**

I said nothing, sweat dropping again.

"I'm going to examine the grave, okay?" I said.

Naruto looked surprised. Sasuke-kun just Hn-ed and went back to his loose posture.

"Why?" asked Naruto.

"Um…I'm interested in it…?" I answered.

"But it's pouring!" he protested.

"It's okay, Naruto," I said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Sasuke-kun, too," I looked at Sasuke-kun and then back at Naruto. "You guys don't have to stay here, okay? It's not like I'm alone-"

**Inner me: Shit.**

_Shi! I completely forgot! Oh my god, she must be soaking wet! _

"Hey, you guys," I said to Naruto and Sasuke-kun, thinking fast. "There's a nurse standing outside of the grave yard. Tsunade-sama wanted her to come here to keep an eye out for my health," I rolled my eyes. "Could you tell her I'm really sorry, and that she can go home now? Tell her that I said I was perfectly fine, please?"

"I don't mind, but, Saori-chan…," Naruto sweat dropped. "Don't end up in the hospital any longer, okay?"

"Don't worry!" I smiled. "And thanks!" I called after their disappearing backs.

I began to examine the grave, looking carefully at the details. But the only thing that caught my attention was the angel.

I didn't really have a religion, but I knew that angels were supposed to be pure and beautiful and kind. I knew that you're supposed to think of bright colors and sunny skies with puffy white clouds when you thought of angels. I know that you're supposed to think that their wings are white.

But this wasn't that kind of a case. Still, I didn't get any more memories, so I guessed that I was just getting bad vibes for no reason.

I headed back, without any clues. It looked like Naruto had been true to his word; Shi wasn't around anymore.

**Inner me: Heh. I bet she ran off the second we turned our back on her! **

_Shi didn't seem like that type of person._

**Inner me: Well, you never know what people are really like….**

_Yeah,_ I agreed. _People like you!_

**Inner me: What do you mean by that?!**

_You know that I'm already suspicious of you,_ I reminded her. _Don't go thinking I've forgotten._

**Inner me: Hmph!**

I got back to the hospital. I only realized what I must've looked like when a passing nurse gasped as she saw me walk in.

"Oh my goodness, dear!" she cried. "What happened?!"

I was dripping wet with rain, wearing a huge black and orange coat that probably made me look puny, and I had mud all over me.

"Nothing," I reassured her. "I'm alright. I'm just coming back inside; Tsunade-sama gave me permission to go out today. Do you know where she is?"

"She's taking a break in the lounge," said the nurse, still looking worried.

_What a nice person._

**Inner me: What a whimpy-looking softie.**

I sighed mentally.

"Thank you," I said to the nurse, and I walked away, getting stares from passing-by nurses and doctors clad in pure white.

Then I realized that I didn't know where the lounge was.

_Eheheheh…._

**Inner me: SAKURA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YOU IDIOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**

_I'm sure we'll find it…,_ I thought doubtfully. _I know! Let's just ask one of the nurses!_

**Inner me: Damn it. Getting us lost again, that little-**

I looked for a nurse while Inner me mumbled darkly. When I found one, she took me to the lounge and I thanked her, and then went in.

"Excuse me…," I said, opening the door slowly.

"Who is it?" asked a familiar, tough, booming voice.

"Saori Aero," I answered. I stepped into her view. Luckily, nobody else was in the room.

"Sakura!" Tsunade-sama said. "You're late!"

"I'm sorry," I apologized.

"Well, whatever," she said. I noticed her cheeks were flushed. And then my eyes wandered to the huge bottle of Sake she was holding. It must've been two gallons. And it was only about an eighth full…. (A/N: -.-')

"Go back to your house, okay? You're released. Now you have less than a week to train for the chunin exams, so let's make the most of that time, alright, Sakura?" she boomed.

"Yes!" I said, smiling.

**Inner me: **_**Finally!**_** We're going to get to train! We're going to get to move around daily! We don't have to use bed-pa-**

_Yeah! It's great! _

I went home, and opened the door with my key. "I'm back," I whispered.

I walked into the living room and flopped down onto the couch. I was starting to get a headache from…I don't know, the non-existent bird that didn't fall from the sky and onto my head in the graveyard?

_Darn headache…._

I fell asleep, not knowing that I was about to have the worst nightmare I'd ever experienced.

A/N: That's the end of Chapter 21~!^^ Please review! XD


	22. Chapter 22

Fallen

Chapter 22

Sakura's POV

I fell asleep, not knowing that I was about to have the worst nightmare I'd ever experienced.

I'm not the kind of person who confuses dreams with reality. For me, there's a big difference. But this particular time was different. It was so…real, like it really was happening.

It was dark, and I was outside. Nobody else was there, but I was next to a house…my house. I was in the back yard.

There wasn't a fence like you would normally see. We didn't live in a neighborhood; our house was on private property. The back yard was…big. It went on for acres, from what Tsunade-sama told me during one of our conversations. There were little lights going on and off; fireflies. A stream was running nearby; I recognized it, too.

The moon was out, but only a little bit; it was peaking through clouds. There weren't any stars at all.

I was just sitting in the grass and watching the fireflies. It was so peaceful…I wouldn't have minded staying like that forever.

I was like that for a while, but then something happened. My head starting throbbing like crazy; it hurt so bad I thought I would go crazy. I crouched down in pain and screamed.

**Inner me: Sakura!**

I was too busy trying not to go crazy to answer her.

I heard a door burst open behind me and three different voices calling my name. I didn't answer them. Why was this happening?!

**Inner me: Sakura you're-!**

Everything went black. The darkness even seemed to interrupt inner me. The pain went away. Then I began to hear everything again, although I couldn't see. What the heck…?

"Stop it!" Keota's voice was shrieking. "Leave them alone!"

I heard a nauseating splattering sound, and then my dad screamed in sheer agony. Then he went quiet.

My mom's voice screamed in horror.

"Don't do it! Leave them alone!" my mother begged. I heard a single slow footstep, as if someone in the grass was shifting. "Please! Please stop! I'll do anything!" she continued to plead until I heard a splattering noise. My mother's scream of agony didn't last long.

Keota screamed. He shrieked and I heard myself screaming with him. I heard the pain and agony in both of our voices. "Why did you do that…?" he asked.

I felt like a word was missing, like he'd said another one, but where? And what was it?

It became quiet except for the stream. And then my voice broke the silence.

"Why…?" I asked. "…Why…? What did they do to you?! Why did you kill them?!" I demanded from the killer.

There was no answer.

"Why did you do that? I'll kill you!" Keota demanded. And then he screamed, like a battle cry or something, and I heard quick footsteps running. Then there was a slicing sound again, and that horrible splattering sound.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Keota screamed.

And then he was quiet, too.

And I heard nothing but the stream and rain falling.

I woke up.

**Inner me: …Morning.**

_Morning…? How can you say something like that after that happened?!_

**Inner me: It was just a dream, Sakura.**

_No, it wasn't,_ I thought. _And you_ _know it! It was a_ memory_, and you know it!_

**Inner me: We've heard it before-**

_Not like that! And we even saw some of it, too!_

**Inner me: Sakura. Stop panicking. It's too late to do anything about it.**

_You can't expect me to just forget about it!_

**Inner me: I didn't say to forget about it. I said to stop panicking. You can't change the things that have already happened. It's no use worrying about them.**

_Easier said than done! _

**Inner me: Sakura. Cut it out.**

My eyes widened involuntarily when I heard her say those words. Her tone had become icy, dead frightening.

I didn't think anything to her after that for a while, and she didn't think anything to me either.

I took a shower and changed, going to the training grounds. I needed to get on with practicing for the chunin exams! I didn't have long to go. I didn't see Sasuke-kun or Naruto there that day. I just trained.

The next day was the same. I finally started talking to Inner me, and we acted like nothing happened. Inner me ignored the times I thought back to what she had said.

Way too soon, the day of the chunin exam's tournament had come. Tenten, Hinata, Ino, Chouji, and Kiba were coming to root us on. I finally saw Naruto and Sasuke-kun. It turned out Naruto had been training with a fellow team member of Tsunade-sama's named Jiraya-sama, and Sasuke-kun had been working on his own.

We were being watched by most of the villagers, and others from other villages, too. Most of the foreigners were high-ranking councilors or such. Anyways, everyone had been packed into a humongous stadium that would make the ancient Romans impressed.

Naruto was first…again, he said to me. He'd been up against Neji instead of this wild-looking woman, though. All of the contestants walked up into a reserved area of the stands and waited there.

After the entire crowd settled down, a judge ninja in the center of the stadium called down Naruto and his opponent.

The judge blew his whistle, and the first match began. People began cheering, mostly for Naruto. I screamed his name at the top of my lungs too, while Sasuke-kun just leaned back in his seat.

Naruto won with a great Rasengan, and the crowd cheered his name as he ran back up to us. Next was Sasuke-kun up against Lee.

The whistle blew, and everyone was quiet. Apparently, Sasuke-kun was a celebrity, being the last remaining member of the Uchiha family.

Sasuke-kun activated his Sharingan and won in less than five minutes. Lee temporarily paralyzed by an attack from behind, and the medical ninjas had taken him away. I decided to bring Naruto and Sasuke-kun (if he would come) with me when I went to visit him later. Who knew what kinds of metaphors he'd come up with all of that free time?

**Inner me: I know, seriously! He's got a great imagination for them, doesn't he?**

…_Yeah,_ I thought, sweat dropping. Sasuke-kun came up to the stands and the next pair went; a bony-as-heck man and one of the black dudes.

_We're going up against one of them in the next round, after this…. They're tougher than any other genin I've come across so far, probably at least on jounin level. It's going to be really hard against them…._

Inner me snorted.

**Inner me: God, don't be so worried! As long as I'm here, we'll be perfectly alright.**

_That's reassuring._

**Inner me: WHAT WAS **_**THAT?!**_

_You heard me._

**Inner me: Hmph! Well, it is. I'll be here to make sure you don't die. So, in return, you'd better make sure I don't die. Got it?**

…_Some plan. Have you forgotten that we're both the same person? And if you have, you must have at least noticed how we're somehow both sharing a body. _

**Inner me: JUST SAY YOU'VE GOT IT!!!!!!!**  
_Say please._

**Inner me: MAKE ME!!!!!!!!!!**

My argument with Inner me calmed me down. That was, until I heard the whistle blow. The other black-cloaked guy stood up and jumped down into the stadium. I began to walk down to him and the judge.

_It's beginning,_ I told Inner me when we stood in front of our opponent, Chianti Usagi.

**Inner me: HELL YEAH IT IS!!!!!!!! Let's take this rabbit boy down!**

A/N: That's the end of this chapter! XD Hope you guys liked it!^^ Please review! XD

**Inner Sakura: Wait a second, you!**

What is it now? -.-'

**Inner Sakura: WISH ME AND SAKURA GOOD LUCK, DAMN IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**  
Um, okay…. Good luck?

**Inner Sakura: Good. Now give drop and give me fifty.**

See you next Chapter!

**Inner Sakura: I said 'DROP AND GIVE ME FIFTY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!'**

And I said 'See you next Chapter!'


	23. Chapter 23

Fallen

Chapter 23:

Sakura's POV

The second that the judge blew the whistle, Chianti Usagi disappeared. I heard a whoosh from my left and barely managed to block his attack. Even so, my body skidded back a few feet involuntarily, and my forearms would be very colorful soon. But it could've been much worse. And the guy only used one hand.

I noticed that there was an unnatural bulk under his cloak, in the shape of a huge...sword? No, was it a Zanbato? (A/N: For more information, watch the anime Rurouni Kenshin.) Well, whatever it was, it probably wasn't good news.

He disappeared again, and again, I dodged by the skin of my teeth.

**Inner me: Sakura, Damn it! Can't you do something else?!**

_No,_ I answered her, blocking another attack, this one making a huge gash in my arm. _If I stop being defensive, we're going to be KO'd or worse. This guy isn't normal, remember?_

**Inner me: This sucks. Oh, I have an idea!**

_What?_

**Inner me: Try to out-speed him!**

_I can't do that._

**Inner me: How do you know? You haven't actually tried, have you? **

_Look,_ I thought, dodging another blow_. A mistake in this battle is going to get us killed. We can't afford to be reckless._

**Inner me: You're such a goody two-shoes!**

_When you come up with something smart, let me know._

Mr. Rabbit disappeared again. But something was different.

_He's faster?!_

Something hard crashed into my back, and I flew over two hundred feet and crashed into a wall.

**Inner me: Sakura! Sakura, get out of here! **

_I'm working on it…,_ I told her. It hurt. It hurt so much.

I pulled myself out of the wall, wincing when I heard my ribs make cracking noises. I coughed up blood.

The crowd groaned.

**Inner me: We've broken our ribs…. Try to heal them.**

I did. And the whole time, I kept my eyes on Mr. Rabbit. He didn't take advantage of the situation and attack me. The whole time, he just watched me.

When I finished, I put my hand down and just stood there, thinking. How could I beat him?

But Chianti Usagi seemed to lose his patience and he vanished again.

**Inner me: Damn it!**

I paid close attention to my surroundings, but this time, he wasn't giving me any signs of where he was or where he planned to attack.

Then I was in the air. My feet weren't connected to the ground anymore, they were way above it. He'd kicked me up.

And it looked like he wasn't going to let me stay up, because he appeared right above me, and his foot connected with my stomach. I hit the ground again. It felt harder than a rock, and I felt my back start to bleed.

**Inner me: Can you heal it?!**

_If I keep on using my chakra to heal injuries, then I won't have any left to battle with!_

Mr. Rabbit's foot collided with my back, sending me flying into the opposite wall. The crowd was groaning and muttering, but I didn't really care about it right now; I had to focus on the battle.

Then I heard Naruto's voice.

"Saori-chan!" he yelled above the rest. "Come on, Saori-chan!"

I pulled myself from the wall, trying to find him. My legs trembled beneath me, and I fell onto the ground. I got up again, though.

"Saori-chan!" Naruto's voice was calling.

I looked for him, and found him; a blond dot in the middle of the other ones. Next to him was a familiar raven-colored dot, too. The said dot didn't seem to be sitting down anymore.

_Naruto…Sasuke-kun…._

**Inner me: I've got it! Here's your motivation; if you win, then you can give both of them bear-hugs!**

_That's stupid…._

**Inner me: THEN YOU COME UP WITH SOMETHING SMARTER!**

Chianti Usagi was still standing there, in a board stance. He was seriously too tough to be fair. How the heck was he considered a genin?!  
**Inner me: Sakura! Just wing it, damn it! You don't have time to come up with some super-complicated plan!**

_I know that, but winging it is too dangerous!_

**Inner me: WHO CARES?!**

And then I felt a blow to my head, and everything was black.

Naruto's POV

Sasuke was standing next to me when Saori-chan's battle started. He didn't budge an inch to watch any of the other battles, but he got up and stood right on the railing for her.

When Saori-chan's battle started, I was worried. These black-cloaked guys were all super-strong. I'd already faced one of them, and I'd barely won. And my opponent had been a kid who looked less than half my age.

This could get bad.

Saori-chan had it pretty hard from the beginning. She was forced to take the defensive, making her too busy with protecting herself to attack. And it was impossible to win that way. Sasuke and I watched, and I started calling her name after she got kicked into a wall.

I'd watch her come out of the hole she'd made, and fall down, getting up again. She looked around, and I could've sworn I saw her look our way.

Then her opponent hit her in the back of her head, and everything went funny. Something about Saori-chan wasn't the same.

She was still standing, but her head was down, her hair covering her face. It was creepy.

That other guy (what's his name?) got all tense, like he was expecting something. He jumped back about ten feet, and watched her. Everybody was watching her.

There was a weird feeling coming from her. Something that felt like it shouldn't even _exist._ It felt innocent, but impure; beautiful, but monstrous. It felt bloodthirsty. It was almost like…one of _them._

Then something happened. And it wasn't pretty.

Her opponent was split in half vertically. He was dead before he hit the ground. I didn't know how it had happened. I didn't even know who had done it; it might not have been Saori-chan for all I knew.

There was screaming and yelling from the crowd. Nobody seemed to actually know him, but they were yelling at Saori-chan. They started calling her a monster and that kind of thing.

I balled up my fists on the rail. I was angry. I was _really_ angry.

"Sasuke," I said, trying to keep my voice under control. "What was that just now?"

Sasuke didn't answer. I looked at him. He was staring at the dead body, now lying in a puddle of blood. The look on his face was shocked and calculating at the same time.

What was going on inside that guy's head?

On the field, Saori-chan wasn't moving. She just stood there with her head bent down, looking at the ground.

The judge walked up to her and began to try and get her attention, but she didn't seem to notice.

Saori-chan fell to the ground, unconscious.

Sakura's POV

I opened my eyes. Everything was disturbingly white. I closed them.

I was lying down on something soft and cushiony. Was it a bed? There were voices around me.

"SAORI-CHAN!" I recognized Naruto's voice.

"Saori-c-chan…?" and I heard Hinata's voice.

"WAKE UP! SAORI-CHAN!" I heard Naruto yell at me.

I opened my eyes just to look at them.

"Naruto, you're loud…," I groaned.

"Shh!" I heard Ino say. "She's awake!"

"Hey, Ino," I said.

"Hey, Saori," she replied. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm alive," I muttered. "Why are you guys here?"

"We came down to visit you when Shino's battle started," Naruto answered.

I felt so embarrassed. I'd lost so bad right in front of them, without ever getting a single hit on Mr. Rabbit. They must've thought that I was so weak. I blushed.

**Inner me: Uh…Sakura?**

_What?_  
**Inner me: …Never mind….**

_What?_ I asked, feeling more curious.

**Inner me: I said never mind!**

_And I asked you what!_

**Inner me: Just pay attention to your friends!**  
_…I'll talk to you about this later!_

**Inner me: Whatever! **

"You did really well, Saori…!" said Tenten unsurely.

I gave her a thankful smile. She was being too nice.

"Yeah!" said Kiba. "I didn't know you could do stuff like that! But still…," he added, sounding a bit quiet. "That was a little over the top, don't you think?"

I sent him a look of confusion. What was he talking about?

"Yeah," Chouji agreed, munching on a bag of potato chips. "You didn't really have to k-"

"What are you guys talking about?" I asked them, confused. "You're acting like I did great, but I lost! I got knocked out! I didn't even lay a single attack on Chianti Usagi!"

Everyone was quiet.

"What's up with you guys…?" I asked them.

"That's what we want to know…," Kiba said. "Don't you…don't you remember?"

"Remember what?" I asked, thinking that there were a lot of things I didn't remember.

"I don't think Saori-chan remembers…," Hinata said quietly.

"How could she not remember?" asked Ino. "Who could forget something like that?!"  
"I don't know…," said Hinata, troubled.

"What are you guys talking about?" I asked them, feeling more and more frustrated by the minute.

"Saori-chan…," Naruto said. "What's the last thing you remember?"  
"Usagi-san knocked me out by hitting me in the back of my head," I said.

The others started talking among themselves.

"Sasuke, come here," Naruto said.

Sasuke-kun walked over. He'd been so quiet I hadn't noticed him in the background.

"What do you think we should do?" Naruto asked.

"There's only one choice, isn't there?" Sasuke-kun said uncaringly. "Tell her."

"Yeah…," said Naruto. "Saori-chan, here's what happened."

A/N: O.O Sakura killed Kisame! T^T

**Inner Sakura: GET ON WITH IT!**  
Fine…. Well, that's the end of Chapter 23. The mysteries are beginning to unravel! What answers are left to find? What will Sakura's reaction be when/if she finds out what really happened? What will Itachi do now that his partner is out of action? Find out next chapter! XD Please Review!^^


	24. Chapter 24

Fallen

Chapter 24: Kidnap! Damn it….

Sakura's POV

"What do you think we should do?" Naruto asked.

"There's only one choice, isn't there?" Sasuke-kun said uncaringly. "Tell her."

"Yeah," Naruto said. "Saori-chan, here's what happened."

I stood stiff, still. Everything was completely silent except for everyone else's breathing. The atmosphere around us was strained, expectant.

Inner me was quiet. She's been having longer periods of silence ever since we arrived at Konoha's gate.

"Well, you said you were knocked out when what's his name hit you in the head, right?" Naruto asked me.

"Chianti Usagi," I corrected him. "And yeah, I did."

"When he hit you in the head, it didn't look like you were unconscious to anyone," he began. "I mean, how could we tell if you were standing up, right?"

_I was standing up…?_

"That guy jumped back, and then-" Naruto was cut off by a smoke bomb.

_Why is there a smoke bomb in here?!_

**Inner me: Because they wanted to throw you a get well party. Why do you think, Sakura?!**

_There could be hundreds of different explanations!_ I thought defensively.

**Inner me: Well, it looks a lot like we're under attack to me.**

I tried to get out of bed, but IV's I hadn't noticed tore at my skin when I moved. I ripped them out, causing a bit of blood to drip onto the floor, but I ignored it. I got out of the white bed I'd been resting in and stood up, in a ready position. My supply bag was on a side table next to the bed, and I grabbed it, replacing it where it should've been.

I took a kunai out.

"Hey, are you guys okay?" asked Naruto's voice.

"Yeah," everybody including me said.

"What's going on?" asked Naruto. "This is kinda-what the-"

Naruto went quiet mid-sentence.

"Naruto!" I yelled.

"Naruto-kun!" Hinata's voice cried anxiously.

There wasn't a response. I felt a hand on my shoulder and screamed.

"Sakura!" Sasuke-kun's voice yelled.

_Sakura?!_

I turned around to face the hand's owner, and found one of the black-hooded guys there. There was a body slung over his left shoulder.

_Naruto…._

"You-" I began to say, but I felt a hard punch to my gut, and I blacked out.

Sasuke's POV

The second that the smoke appeared, I knew it was already bad. The tent was zipped shut, so it would be a while before the medic ninja's outside would realize something wasn't right.

I heard that dobe Naruto say, "What's going on? This is kinda-what the-" and then he went quiet.

Sakura and Hinata called out his name, but he didn't answer.

Hn. Why did Sakura care so much about that dobe anyways?

But there were more important things to think about.

I heard Sakura scream, and I yelled out her name.

"Sakura!"

I didn't even think about it. I knew she was trying to keep her identity a secret; that much was obvious considering she didn't tell us the second she saw us. But that didn't matter right now. Right now, Sakura was in trouble.

I ran over to where I'd heard her voice coming from and I saw a big, dark figure. It was weird looking, distorted. But maybe it was just the smoke.

Then the figure disappeared, and I fallowed it. I chased it into the forest, and continued on.

I didn't know where it was going. I didn't know what it was planning on doing with Sakura and Naruto. But I had to stop it. I didn't want to lose anyone ever again.

Naruto's POV

When I came to, I was hanging on the shoulder of the same guy who'd knocked me out and it wasn't exactly comfortable. His shoulder was digging into my stomach. Still, I doubted that he'd sit me on a nice sofa and offer me a nice steaming hot bowl of pork ramen if I told him that.

The next thing that I noticed was that I wasn't the only one who the guy had kidnapped. Saori-chan was on his other shoulder, still unconscious.

Was this guy an Akatsuki? But if he was, what did he want with Saori-chan? Did that mean she was a Jinchuuriki?

There was some evidence pointing in that direction; that was true. I mean, what had happened with that guy in her battle was a lot like she had a demon in her. But there were some points against that, too.

As far as I knew, a demon's chakra was evil and sinister.

When she'd gone all funny, I couldn't sense her chakra at all. But the feeling that I'd gotten from her wasn't like a demon. It was something else…but what?

"Hey!" I said to the guy who I was riding on. "What are you doing? Where are you taking us? Who are you?!"

The guy didn't answer, and just kept on moving. I began to get angry. I kicked him. He didn't even twitch.

"Are you an Akatsuki?" I asked him.

There was a silence. At first, I thought he wasn't going to answer. But then, a deep, familiar voice said, "Yes."

Well, that was one down. Now there were just a million more to go.

"Who are you?" I asked him again. "I know you, don't I? We've met. You're…," I thought for a bit, and then it hit me. "You're Itachi!"

"Correct," was all he said.

"Then the guy that was killed in Saori-chan's battle was that guy Kisame!" I shouted.

"Yes."

"I wonder how he died…," I wondered. To tell the truth, I was kind of afraid to find out.

"She killed him."

"Who?" I asked.

"This girl," he said, nodding his head towards Saori-chan. "She killed Kisame." He didn't show any emotion in his voice.

"Aren't you sad that your own partner died?" I asked, disgusted.

"No," he replied. "Kisame was too careless. It's his fault he's dead."

I really wanted to punch this guy. And I knew I had to get away from him, fast. But I wanted some questions answered.

"Why are you taking Saori-chan?" I asked again.

"It doesn't concern you," he said.

"Like hell it doesn't!" I shouted. "Saori-chan's my friend!"

"Hn," Itachi said. Like brother like brother, huh? "We're interested in her. That's all that you will need to know. You'll be dying soon anyways."

I decided that it was time to get going. I jumped off of his back and made a shadow clone, and then formed a Rasengan in my hand.

Itachi didn't even blink. He didn't budge. All that he did was take off his black cloak, only to show another one underneath. This one was different, though. It showed his head and it had distinctive red clouds on it. He looked at me out of the corner of his eye.

I didn't attack. I couldn't, and he knew it.

And it was because Saori-chan was on his shoulder. If I hit him, she'd get hurt too. And he knew I wouldn't let that happen. Damn.

He lazily lifted Saori-chan from his shoulder and held her up with one arm, putting the other hand around her throat, her delicate-looking, pale white throat.

"Come here," he said.

I didn't move. His fingers tightened around Saori-chan's throat. She gasped and opened her eyes.

"Naruto…," she gasped. She struggled to get out of his grip, but she couldn't. I released my Rasengan.

"Don't think I've forgotten that Shadow Clone that's right behind me," he said. He stuck out a foot and it disappeared in a puff of smoke. "Come here," he repeated.

I walked over to him. I had no choice.

Damn it.

Sakura's POV

When I opened my eyes, I felt a hand around my throat.

I saw Naruto in front of me, staring at me. He had a Rasengan in one hand, ready. But he wasn't moving.

"Naruto…," I said. I tried to tell him to go away, get away while he could. But I didn't have enough oxygen.

I tried to get free. I struggled and squirmed around, but I couldn't do anything.

_I feel so weak…._

**Inner me: You're not weak.**

_But I'm not strong enough! It's the same thing…._

**Inner me: ….**

Naruto walked back over to us, and the guy knocked him out, and slung him over his shoulder. Then I went over his other shoulder.

And then we were moving again.

A/N: That's the end of this chapter!

**Inner Sakura: DAMN IT! Why is Sakura acting so weak?**

She can't help it.

**Inner Sakura: That doesn't matter! She didn't even try to do anything and she's already giving up!**

Well, let's see what happens in the next chapter, then.

**Inner Sakura: She'd better get a grip on herself!**

Let's leave that up to her. See you guys next time! Please review!


	25. Chapter 25

Fallen

Chapter 25: Can You Please Tell Me?

Sakura's POV

It was quiet as I rode on top of the black-cloaked person. Although I soon realized that it looked like he'd changed while I'd been unconscious.

He was wearing a black cloak still, but it let me see his head, and this cloak had red clouds all over it.

It was hard to get a good look at him, though, due to the fact that the upper half of my body was hanging almost completely upside-down from the back of his shoulder. All I could really see of his head was his long, dark hair and his pale ears. Somehow, both features reminded me of Sasuke-kun.

I looked at Naruto's unconscious body, flopped limply over the guy's other shoulder.

_Naruto...._

**Inner me: Stop being such a wimp!**

_But-_

**Inner me: How are you going to help Naruto by worrying if he's alright?! Why not actually do something about it?!**

_But what if-_

**Inner me: Sakura! Are you going to just give up on both Naruto's life and yours without a fight?! Are you going to abandon him?! **

_I'm not-_

**Inner me: Don't you dare even **_**try**_** to deny it Sakura, because that's what you're doing and you know it! So much for being friends! You **_**disgust**_** me!**

_Stop it._

**Inner me: Stop what?! Telling the truth?!**

_Shut up…._

**Inner me: MAKE ME!**

_SHUT UP! _I screamed so loud inside my head I felt dizzy. _SHUT UP, SHUT UP, SHUT UP, SHUT UP, SHUT _UP!

**Inner me: No. Why should I?**

_Because I haven't given up yet! I'm _not_ going to abandon Naruto! _

**Inner me: Why should I believe you?**

_Because you know what I'm thinking! And Naruto's my friend…. Naruto, Sasuke-kun, and everyone else are my friends! They're all I have. So I can't just abandon them!  
_**Inner me: That sounds so cliché.**

_I know, but it's the truth._

**Inner me: Good girl.**

_I'm not a dog!_

**Inner me: Now let's come up with a plan to get out of here.**

_Yeah, _I agreed.

I'll admit that it's kind of difficult to concentrate when you're upside down, but I didn't let that stop me. Inner me and I thought of a plan, considering what little things we knew about what was going on the whole time.

Even though we did that for hours, we didn't stop even when the daylight disappeared, and the sunny skies became dark.

Naruto didn't wake up for a while, but when he did I put my hand awkwardly over his mouth (it was awkward because it felt weird doing it upside-down) to keep him from talking. He nodded and was still.

I wanted to somehow convey the plans I'd come up with to him, but I couldn't. I didn't whisper them to him for fear of being overheard, and I couldn't think of any other available ways to do it. It was too complicated to use simple sign-language, and the guy might notice I was moving if I did anyways.

Then I had an idea.

"I have something to tell you," I mouthed slowly and silently.

Naruto seemed to understand (although I wasn't sure if he would because we were moving so much) because he mouthed back, "Okay."

"I have come up with some plans," I lipped.

Naruto's eyes brightened. "Tell me," was his silent reply.

I tried to think of a way to tell him in as few words as possible, because I knew that lip-reading could become harder when there were more words to read.

"Do you think we could cut off his head with a kunai like this?" I asked soundlessly.

"What?" he asked.

I repeated, slower.

"No," Naruto mouthed. "He'd notice before we did."

"Stab his back?"

"It wouldn't affect him."

"Tickle him?"

Naruto sweat dropped and shook his head.

"Then I'm out of ideas," I admitted silently.

I knew it was below my level, but it was all I could come up with in the present circumstances. But I wasn't going to give up.

**Inner me: Good.**

Naruto shrugged and smiled. I took that as an 'oh well, but thanks anyways, Saori-chan.'

I put a finger to my lips and then began to speak out loud.

"Excuse me," I said to my kidnapper. "Could you tell me who you are?" I asked him.

"Itachi," he said in a monotone. "Itachi Uchiha."

I gasped, recognizing the name. I couldn't help it. "You're Sasuke-kun's older brother!" I said. "He said you murdered his clan!"

"Yes," he said.

"You're an S-class criminal!" I said.

"Yes," Itachi replied.

"You're an Uchiha!" I gasped.

"I've noticed," he said.

"Why do you want us?" I asked him.

"That's none of your business," he said.

"It is," I disagreed. "Because Naruto's my friend," I continued. "And I'm…well, me."

"We're interested in you," was all he said.

"…'_We'?_" I repeated.

"The Akatsuki, Saori-chan," Naruto said. "They're a group of really strong outlaws that go after Jinchuuriki and steal their powers, killing the Jinchuuriki."

My eyes widened.

_Does that mean they think you're a demon?_ I asked Inner me.

**Inner me: HOW **_**RUDE!**_

"But," continued Naruto. "I don't know why they're going after you since I'm pretty sure you aren't a Jinchuuriki."

"You're correct," Itachi said. "She isn't a Jinchuuriki. She does not have a demon sealed inside of her."

"Then why are you 'interested' in Saori-chan?" asked Naruto angrily.

"It does not concern you. You are going to die soon," Itachi replied in his monotone.

"Itachi…," I began slowly. "Please…can you please tell me what Inner me is? She won't tell me, because she's always saying 'I'm you'. But I don't think that's the truth."

**Inner me: What the hell are you doing, Sakura?! He's the **_**enemy!**_

"Saori-chan, what do you mean by 'Inner me'?" Naruto asked me, confused.

Itachi was silent.

"Please…?" I asked.

I knew who I was asking. I knew that this person was a murderer, who'd ruined the life of one of my closest friends. And I knew what I was asking. I knew it could and probably would change my whole life.

But I had to know.

A/N: Here's the end of Chapter…which one are we on now?

**Inner Sakura: It's 25. And more importantly, SAKURA'S BETRAYED ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**

I'm not sure if that's called 'betrayal' but-

**Inner Sakura: IT IS!**

Um…okay, then. Well, wait for the next chapter!

**Inner Sakura: SAKURA!!!!!!!!! **

You're not crying, are you?

**Inner Sakura: N-NO!**

Liar…anyways, please review!

**Inner Sakura: WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**


	26. Chapter 26

Fallen

Chapter 26: Good Boy, Bad Dog.

Sakura's POV

"Please…?" I asked.

I knew who I was asking. I knew this person was a murderer, who'd ruined the life of one of my closest friends. And I knew what I was asking. I knew it could and probably would change my whole life.

But I had to know.

It was quiet. Nobody spoke. Naruto was quiet with obvious confusion. I was quiet because I was waiting for an answer that might never come. And Itachi was quiet for some reason or another.

"Hn," Itachi said. "I don't see why I should."

**Inner me: Hell yeah! Good boy! **

_He's not a dog…._

**Inner me: Who cares?**

"But I don't see why you shouldn't, either," I said stubbornly. I couldn't let this chance get away.

Itachi turned his head a fraction of an inch and set startling red eyes on me. I looked back at them the best I could while hanging over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

"Hn," he said, turning his head back to its original position. "So be it."

"Thank you," I told him.

**Inner me: BAD DOG! **_**BAD**_** DOG!!!!!!!!!! **

We never stopped moving, so I guessed that he was going to tell me while we traveled.

"I don't know very much about it, however," he said. "And everything that I do know about it is second-hand information. I can't promise complete accuracy."

"That's alright," I said. "Just tell me."

"Hn," Itachi said.

"Saori-chan, what are you two talking about?!" asked Naruto.

I looked at him. "I'm sorry, Naruto," I said. "But could you please stay quiet while Itachi explains things to me?"

"But-"

"Naruto!" I cut in. "Please."

"…Fine," he gave in.

"Thank you," I said. "Please continue," I told Itachi.

**Inner me: No! Don't continue! Bad dog! That **_**idiot! **_**Where's the squirt gun? **

"You remember my comrade who you fought against?" he asked.

"Chianti Usagi?" I asked.

"No," he said. "I am talking about the other one, the younger one."

"Yeah, I remember him…," I said. I didn't think I'd be forgetting him in a hurry, even though I do have amnesia. The little boy who'd looked up at me and said 'two'. I still have no idea what the heck he meant by that.

**Inner me: Hmph! You don't need to have an idea about it! **

"He comes from a clan with a special bloodline," Itachi said. "He is the last remaining member of it. Although it was never very big in the first place, so it wasn't well-known. His bloodline lets him read minds."  
"He could read minds?!" Naruto blurted out.

"Didn't I just say that?" Itachi asked him in his monotone.

_Of course…,_ I thought. _Of course…that explains it. He must have heard two voices in my head and noticed…. And it's only natural for him to have told his allies about it. But then…what next? _

"Please go on," I said.

"Kyoshi noticed that your mind was unusual," Itachi went on. "He recognized what it meant and informed us, Kisame and myself, about it."

'_What it meant'? What did it mean…? No, what _does_ it mean? _

My heart began to pound in my chest, beating like my life depended on it (which it kinda did). I was about to find out! I was about to know what was going on!

**Inner me: Sakura! You don't want to know! You'll regret it! I…I don't want to see you in that kind of pain…!**

…_Thank you,_ I thought to her. _But I want to know. I've been telling you this the whole time; I do want to know! I want to know. And so…I'm sorry._

**Inner me: ….**

"He told us…that we would be interested in you. That you were special, more rare than the Jinchuuriki are. And then, he told us why. That is because-" Itachi stopped talking as he jumped into the air, avoiding a kunai with an exploding tag attatched to it.

"Hn," Itachi said. "If it isn't my foolish little brother? It was about time that you did something other than fallow us."

_Sasuke-kun's here…?_

Sasuke's POV

I'd been fallowing the dark figure for hours, nonstop. I watched as the figure took off his cloak, revealing his identity.

_That bastard…._

I watched as Sakura talked to my older brother while she was slung over his shouler, thinking that she was trying to convince him to let them go or something like that. I got closer, to try and listen to what they were saying.

"-don't see why I should," my brother said to her. It went along with my theory so far.

"But I don't see why you shouldn't, either," I heard Sakura retort.

She had guts; I'll give her that.

"Hn," that damned Itachi said. "So be it."

_Huh?_ I wondered in confusion. _He agreed to let her go just like that? No…it must be something else…._

"Thank you," Sakura said sincerely. Why was she being so polite to someone who was probably going to kill her?

"I don't know much about it, however," Itachi said. It looked like he was going to explain something. I listened carefully while I kept on moving. "And everything that I do know is second hand information. I can't promise complete accuracy."

"That's alright," Sakura said. "Just tell me."

"Hn," Itachi said.

"Saori-chan, what are you talking about?!" Naruto asked her, obviously frustrated.

Sakura turned to look at Naruto as best as she could in her current position. "I'm sorry, Naruto," she apologized. "But could you please stay quiet while Itachi explains things to me?"

"But-"

"Naruto!" Sakura said a little more sharply. "Please."

Naruto gave in. "Fine…."  
"Thank you," she said. "Please continue," she said to my brother.

"You remember my comrade who you fought against?" Itachi asked her.

"Chianti Usagi?" she asked.

"No," Itachi said. "I'm talking about the other one, the younger one."

"Yeah, I remember him…," Sakura said.

"He comes from a clan with a special bloodline," Itachi went on. "He is the last remaining member of it. Although it was never very big in the first place, so it wasn't well known. His bloodline lets him read minds."

_A bloodline that can let someone read minds?! I've never heard of it…_, I thought.

"He could read minds?!" demanded Naruto.

"Didn't I just say that?" Itachi asked him.

"Please go on," Sakura told him.

"Kyoshi noticed that your mind was unusual," Itachi continued. "He recognized what it meant and informed us, Kisame and myself, about it."

_Sakura's mind isn't normal? What does that mean? _

"He told us that we would be interested in you," Itachi said. "That you were special, more rare than the Jinchuuriki are. And then he told us why. That is because-"

I threw a kunai with an exploding tag attatched at Itachi. Something deep inside of me was telling me that I didn't want to know the rest of what he was going to say, that I _shouldn't_ know.

But somewhere even deeper down, I was sure…I was dying to hear the rest. But I'd have to ignore that urge. I didn't have the luxury to understand the mysteries of Sakura Haruno while both hers and my best friend's life was endangered.

"Hn," Itachi's voice said from the dust. "If it isn't my foolish little brother? It's about time that you did something other than fallow us."

He knew. He'd known I was fallowing them the whole time. Why hadn't he done anything though? For fun?_ Damn it!_

The dust began to clear and I saw Itachi standing calmly on a high branch with Sakura and Naruto still on his shoulders.

"Sasuke!" Naruto yelled grinning.

"Hn," I replied.

I looked at Sakura. And I was surprised to find that she was glaring at me.

Sakura's POV

The dust began to clear, and Sasuke-kun was visible to all of us. Naruto shouted out his name in joy. But I found that I was angry. Why did he have to come right then? Why couldn't he have waited for Itachi to finish? I'd been so close to finding out what Inner me was, but now…I'd have to wait again. I'd have to wonder about it without any answers, _again_.

I knew I should've been more grateful that Sasuke-kun had fallowed us, that he'd planned on rescuing us. I knew that I should be smiling and calling his name just like Naruto. But I couldn't. I just couldn't do it. I glared at him.

**Inner me: Oh, come on, Sakura! Don't be so harsh! He's a good boy!**

_You sound so happy…,_ I thought.

**Inner me: And you don't.**

_I wanted to know…I wanted to know what you are, and why these funny things are happening._

**Inner me: …Sakura, I already told you. I don't want you to know. And you don't want to know, either. When you find out, you'll be regretting ever thinking about it, wishing that you could go back in time and shut up whoever told you about it.**

_Is it really that bad?_

**Inner me: Yes. It is. It's probably even worse, actually.**

_Doesn't that mean you're bad, too?_

**Inner me: …yeah. I guess it does.**

I was surprised by her tone. It was so serious and so sad…just what had happened?

_I guess I'm bad too, though, _I told her. _Even after you've said all of those things, I still want to know. _

**Inner me: Sakura….**

I was removed from my thoughts by Sasuke-kun shooting another attack at his brother.

**Inner me: IS HE TRYING TO KILL US?!  
**_I don't think so…,_ I said.

"Saori-chan!" Naruto said. I looked at him. "Sasuke is going to get us out of this! It's going to be alright now!"

"…Yeah!" I said, putting on a fake smile. "Yeah, it is!"

Naruto's smile faded. "Saori-chan…."  
_He can see right through me…._

"Saori-chan, you really wanted to know, didn't you? Whatever Itachi was going to say," he said.

I nodded.

"Saori-chan, you can find out from somebody else!" Naruto said confidently. "I'll help you out when we get back in Konoha, okay?"

_Naruto…._

"Yeah," I said, smiling genuinely. "Thanks, Naruto."

"Let's help Sasuke out!" Naruto said.

He made two shadow clones and squirmed out of Itachi's grasp again, beginning to make a Rasengan. I squirmed free, too, but Itachi just chuckled when I did that.

"Do you really think that you can find out in Konoha?" he asked me quietly, so only I could hear.

I didn't answer. Did I?

**Inner me: Sakura! Move!**

"They can't tell you," Itachi said. "They don't know…but I do," he said. I looked into his eyes. But that turned out to be a mistake. I began to sink deep into them, and then everyone disappeared.

"Naruto?" I called. Nobody answered. "Sasuke-kun! Are you there? Naruto! Answer me!"

It was quiet. I looked around, and realized I wasn't in the forest anymore. I was in my backyard again. It was nighttime. The moon was poking out from dark clouds, and the stars weren't visible at all. Fireflies were sparkling around the place, and a stream could be heard gently babbling. It was peaceful.

_What…?_

**Inner me: This is bad….**

A/N: That's the end of Chapter 26.

**Inner Sakura: Sakura…. Damn it, it looks like Itachi got Sakura….**

Yeah, it does. What'll happen in the next chapter?

**Inner Sakura: Like hell do I know.**

Do you still think that Sakura betrayed you?

**Inner Sakura: Yes. But I suppose she can be forgiven, since it was out of stupid curiosity. And she's not a cat.**

Sakura sure wants to know what you are.

**Inner Sakura: Yeah, she does. That idiot…. Even though I keep on warning her, does she listen? NO!**

Please review guys! For those of you who have, thank you so much! XD See you in the next chapter!


	27. Chapter 27

A/N: Hi guys! XD Thanks for reading up to here! This is Chapter 27, and a lot of questions are going to be answered, although not all of them. Please Enjoy~

Fallen

Chapter 27: Who She Really Is.

It was quiet. I looked around, and realized I wasn't in the forest anymore. I was in my backyard again. It was nighttime. The moon was poking out from dark clouds, and the stars weren't visible at all. Fireflies were sparkling around the place, and a stream could be heard gently babbling. It was peaceful.

_What…?_

**Inner me: This is bad….**

"I'll show you," Itachi's voice said behind me. I spun around to see him. "The memories you've forgotten. Watch," he pointed a long, thin index finger to a small little girl with pink hair sitting in the grass.

"Me…?" I asked. He nodded and vanished. There wasn't a puff of smoke. He just wasn't there anymore.

And suddenly I was the little girl.

It was so nice and peaceful. But then I got a headache, a horrible, terrible headache. I crouched down in pain and screamed.

**Inner me: Sakura!**

I was too busy trying not to go crazy to answer her.

I heard the door burst open behind me and three different voices calling my name. I didn't answer them. Why was this happening?!

**Inner me: Sakura you're being awakened! Damn it! Sakura! Hang in there!**

I was being awakened? That made it sound like I was a mummy.

The pain in my head suddenly went away. But something weird was still happening. I felt something burning all over my body, and the feeling was becoming stronger. I looked at my hand, but I didn't see anything…no, wait. I saw a weird shimmer about seven inches above my palm. But that was probably a trick of the moonlight.

The burning stopped, leaving a strange tingling sensation all over me. And then I blacked out. But the second I blacked out, I returned to my normal self, and was to the side, watching.

The younger me was standing up, with her head hung down unnaturally. Her hair was covering her face, making it almost impossible to see. And then I noticed something giant on her back. A pair of dark, black feathery wings. They were huge; either wing would probably be as long as my dad was tall.

My family seemed to notice something was wrong.

"Stop it!" Keota's voice shrieked. "Leave them alone!"

I saw something move but I couldn't tell what it was. Then my dad was shrieking in pain, and was silent. He fell to the ground, cut in half horizontally at the waist.

My mom clapped a hand to her mouth in horror and screamed.

"Don't do it! Leave them alone!" my mother screamed. She took a slow step forward. "Please! Please stop! I'll do anything!" she begged. Then I heard the sound of three things, two light, one heavier, falling into the grass. Blood splattered here and there. Some fell onto my younger self's face. She didn't seem to notice.

Keota screamed. And I was sure, that deep down, my younger self was screaming too.

"Why did you do that?" Keota demanded. "I'll kill you!" he screamed in a sort of battle cry and started charging at my younger self.

When he was within two feet of his target, he screamed. And then was ripped into chunks of body parts.

Rain began to fall. And the little pink haired girl disappeared without a trace. I stared at the scene.

I looked at the unmoving halves that were my father. And then I turned to look at the decapitated figure of my mother. And last, I set my eyes on the bloody mass of body parts that was my brother. But I couldn't look at any of them long. I turned my face up to the raining night sky.

_I killed them…I killed them…! They didn't even do anything to me…and now they're dead…. I'm a murderer…I killed my own family! I'm just like Itachi Uchiha._

Naruto's POV

When I got free of Itachi, Saori-chan did too. Except Itachi came up behind her and started whispering to her. I couldn't hear what that bastard was saying, but there was no doubt that it wasn't anything good.

Then she looked into his eyes before I could warn her. And she collapsed. I tried to get to her so I could help her out, but Itachi disappeared with Saori-chan.

"Saori-chan!" I screamed. But it was pointless. "Saori-chan…," I said quietly.

"Come on, Naruto!" Sasuke yelled at me. "We have to fallow her!"

"Yeah," Naruto agreed.

And so we started moving, quickly jumping from tree to tree. After a few minutes, Sasuke began to talk.

"What were Sakura and Itachi talking about before I got here?" he asked me.

'_Sakura'? What does he mean,_ 'Sakura'?

"That's not Sakura, idiot," I muttered. I knew he'd heard me. "That's Saori-chan."

Sasuke was looking at me with an expressionless look. But somehow I knew he was trying to decide on doing something. He spoke when he seemed to have made up his mind.

"No," he finally spoke up. "She's not Saori Aero. She's Sakura Haruno."

"Sasuke!" I yelled at him, getting angry. "I know you miss her, but she's _dead!_ And mistaking her for someone else won't change that."

But even as I said those things to him, I knew he was right. I probably knew it all along. Why else would I feel so close to her from the second we met? Why else would she look and act like the Sakura Haruno I remembered?

But I still didn't want to accept it; I didn't want to have my hopes brought down again.

"Then why didn't she tell us?! We're her friends!" I demanded.

"I don't know," he admitted. "But that doesn't mean anything. There could be thousands of reasons."

"Do you know why she was gone so long? Why she disappeared, making all of us think she was _dead?!_" I asked him.

"No," he said.

"How did you come up with this?" I asked him. "Don't tell me that one day you thought that Saori-chan was her because they look alike!"

"I saw her necklace," he said simply.

"Her what?"

"Her necklace, dobe," Sasuke said. "You know the one that she's always wearing? The one that she never shows anybody? I saw it," he said. "It was in the shape of the Haruno crest."

"…Are you sure?"

"Positive," he told me.

"Do you know any reasons why she'd be wanted by the Akatsuki?" I asked him.

"No," he said. "You probably know more than me."

I shook my head. "All she said was something about 'Inner me' and what 'Inner me' was. I don't know what it means."

"I see," Sasuke said. "Well, let's hurry."

And we sped up our pace. We had to get to Saori-no, Sakura-chan. The Sakura-chan who was still alive, still breathing. The Sakura-chan who was still walking around. The Sakura-chan who everybody cared about. Sakura-chan. Sakura-chan…. _Sakura-chan._

Sakura's POV

I opened my eyes. It was way past time to wonder if that was a dream. I knew what it was. There was no way to deny what it was.

I was lying on the floor of a cave. It was hard, but more comfortable than Itachi's shoulder had been.

**Inner me: Sakura…are you okay?**

I didn't answer her question.

…_Even after I saw that, I still don't know what you are_, I thought to her.

Inner me sighed.

**Inner me: There's no point in hiding anything from you anymore. I've already told you 'You are me. But I am not you. We are the same person, but at the same time we aren't.' **

_And what does that mean, exactly?_

**Inner me: Sakura. I'm your memories. I know everything about what's happened, and everything that's happening, even when you're unconscious. And I know why you have that power that you've just seen. **

_Do I still have it?_

**Inner me: Yes, you do. But you can't use them at your own free will. Not yet, anyways.**

_What is it? Why do I have it?_

**Inner me: Sakura, it's a long story.**

_Just tell me._

**Inner me: It'll tell you. But after that, I'm going to give you your memories. All of them.**

_Really? _I couldn't find it in myself to smile. It felt impossible after finding out the truth. But I felt my spirits lift an inch from very-below-sea-level to one-inch-higher-than-very-below-sea-level.

**Inner me: Really.**

_Alright, tell me._

**Inner me: Once you hear this, you will never forget it. Are you sure about this?**

_Yeah,_ I assured her. _I'm sure._

A/N: Sorry if you're disappointed with this chapter. :[ I am too, to tell the truth. But whatever. Oh, and in case there's any confusion, I'd like to point out something. In the previous chapters, Sakura could be heard asking the killer why they killed her family. That voice was actually what she was thinking at that time. Please review guys! ^^ See you next Chapter!


	28. Chapter 28

A/N: Alright! Here's a **MEGA-IMPORTANT**chapter to the story. Please Review and give me your honest opinion!^^ Enjoy~

Fallen

Chapter 28: Goodbye…Forever.

Sakura's POV

**Inner me: Once you hear it, you will never forget it. Are you sure about this?**

_Yes,_ I assured her._ I'm sure._

**Inner me: Alright, then. Don't interrupt me.**

_Okay._

**Inner me: Far away from here, in a beautiful, peaceful place, Angels exist. **

_Angels?!_

**Inner me: Sakura!**

_Sorry…._

**Inner me: Angels are pure beings that live in a pure world. There is no such thing as sadness, hate, or anger in that world. They aren't aloud to be there. No Angel is capable of committing a sin, no matter how small. That's just the way it is. **

Inner me sighed sadly.

**Inner me: But one day, fourteen years ago, one Angel did the unthinkable. That Angel committed a sin, a terrible, unforgivable sin. That Angel was banished from the world of peace, becoming a Fallen Angel, and was sent to a world completely different from their own. This world was one of flaws and impurity. Sinners could be found there, and a lot of them. They wouldn't remember anything about their former life, and be reborn as a human there. When that body died, they were to be reborn again as another human. **

Inner me paused. I was breathing heavily.

_What sin did the Angel commit?_ I asked nervously.

**Inner me: She killed a fellow Angel.**

_Angels can die?_

**Inner me: Yes, they can. But they are immortal unless poisoned or fatally injured. That Angel stabbed the other Angel through the heart.**

_Why?_

**Inner me: That Angel had tried to kill her.**

_Then she shouldn't have been banished! It was in self defense!_

**Inner me: She didn't have any proof that he had tried to kill her**.

**Inner me: I'm sure you've guessed, but that Angel was you. After one year, you were reincarnated into the body you're in. But the original plan was flawed; you always had your memories. They were just contained inside of me. **

…_If I'm a Fallen Angel, then why do I still have powers?_

**Inner me: They can't take away your powers. Your powers are reawakened at an undetermined time in your human life, and you won't be able to control them until you get your memories back.**

…_What's a Fallen Angel? I mea, I know what it is, but what does it mean to be one?_

**Inner me: A Fallen Angel is an Angel that has committed a sin. Where normal Angels have white wings, a Fallen Angel has black wings, marking the Fallen. Also, they have an extremely huge amount of chakra. What's more, that chakra is clear, almost impossible to see. They are banished from their own world to one of imperfections, to face eternal punishment for their sin. You are actually the first and only so far. **

_I'm honored,_ I said sarcastically.

**Inner me: Sakura. I'm…going to give you your memories now. **

_Okay._

**Inner me: This is going to be the last time we talk to each other, Sakura.**

…_What?_

**Inner me: Since I'm your forgotten memories, once you remember them, I'll disappear. **

My eyes grew wide.

_N-no…you're going to die?_

**Inner me: No. I'm going to become part of you.**

_You're already part of me!_

**Inner me: Not completely. I'm sealed off from the rest of your mind. That's why you can't hear my thoughts unless I think them directly to you. **

The only person who I had known for as long as I can remember, my constant and forever present companion was going to disappear.

Tears welled up in my eyes. I hadn't cried in four years. But now they were blurring my vision and spilling over. I began to sob. I didn't want Inner me to disappear. I wanted to hear her voice more, hear her make wise-cracks and stupid comments.

_NO! _I thought as loud as I could. _No! Don't leave! It's fine if I don't remember my past! I already have plenty of memories! Memories with Naruto, Sasuke-kun, Kakashi-sensei, Tsunade-sama, and everyone else! And I have memories with you, too! I have plenty, so you don't have to leave!_

When Inner me spoke again, she sounded sad but full of resolve.

**Inner me: Sakura. I can't do that. The process had already started when Itachi put us under that Genjutsu. All he did was give me a hard push to show you those memories. **

My body began to shake and I cried even harder.

**Inner me: I'm really glad to have met you, Sakura. Or maybe it's more like I'm really glad to have been a part of you. It's been great. And stop crying over me, you wimp! I'll always be here…sort of. Anyways, everything is going to be alright, you IDIOT! **

I smiled a bit at the return of her weird personality.

_Okay,_ I said as I wiped my eyes. _I'm really glad to have met you too. I'm glad that you are who you are, and I'm glad that you were always there for me. _

**Inner me: Sakura…. W-well of course you are! I'm me after all!**

_You've got that right,_ I thought. _No one else is like you. _

**Inner me: Of c-hey…was that a complement or an insult?**

_I'll let you decide, _I told her teasingly.

Images began to flash up in front of my eyes and incomprehensible sounds began to fill my eyes. A blond and a raven-haired boy in a ramen eating contest, a white, bright cloud floor, a pink haired woman hugging a small red haired boy…they never seemed to end.

**Inner me: S-Sakura. I have to go now. Goodbye, Sakura.**  
I bit down on my trembling lip.

_You were like a sister to me, you know? It's hard…,_ I thought while I wiped more tears off of my face. _Goodbye_. _I'll miss you._

**Inner me: Sakura…I'll do my best to try and save you.**

_Save me from what? _

**Inner me: From that damned fate those idiot Angels gave you.**

_How? _

**Inner me: It doesn't matter how…just know that I'm still fighting for you, okay?**

…_Yeah. I won't forget it._

**Inner me: Good. Don't do anything too stupid. See-**

And then Inner me was quiet. I was all alone.

_Goodbye…forever._

Naruto's POV

We stopped at a huge rock next to some waterfall.

"What do we do now?" I asked Sasuke.

Sasuke shook his head. "The entrance is probably in there," he said, pointing to the rock. "But I doubt that we'll be able to get in."

He walked over to it and started examining it, stopping when he found a small, unnatural-looking circle dent. "They probably get into it by putting something here…," he muttered.

"Then why don't we just stick our finger in or something?" I asked him.

"Dobe," Sasuke said. "If it realizes your finger isn't what's supposed to be in there, it'll probably fry it off or something."

"I'm not a dobe, you!" I yelled at him. "But anyways, why don't we just blast it down if we can't get in the normal way?"

"We can't, dobe," he told me. "We want to get in quietly and unnoticed. That dumb plan doesn't fit in either category."

"Well then, what do you think we should do?" I asked him irritably.

"Hn," he said. He held up a ring. "I found this where we had that fight with Itachi. We should be able to get in with this."

"Then why didn't you say something?!" I demanded, but I was grinning.

Sasuke put the ring on his finger and put it into the hole. A door opened, and we slipped inside.

_We're going to rescue you, Sakura-chan!_

A/N: Inner Sakura…T^T. *sniff* That's the end of chapter 28. Please review! Look forward to the next chapter!


	29. Chapter 29

Fallen

Chapter 29: Because of Her.

Naruto's POV

To be honest, I didn't expect finding Sakura-chan to be this easy. She was lying face up on the floor of the cave we were in.

I took a step forward to go to her, but Sasuke grabbed my wrist.

"No," he said. "Doesn't this seem too easy? It could be a trap."

"Hmm?" a voice said from the dark shadows further back in the cave. "I didn't expect company, un. Oi, Itachi! Why the hell are these damn kids here, un?" The voice's owner stepped forward, and I saw a guy with blond hair in a ponytail and an Akatsuki cloak.

"Hn," a deep, familiar voice said. "It looks like my foolish little brother and his Kyuubi friend came for a visit, Deidara." Itachi stepped into view next to Deidara.

"Kyuubi?" the blond said interestedly. "Well, that means that he's saving us a lot of trouble, doesn't it, un?"

"Indeed," said Itachi. "I see that you've noticed our other guest," he said to us, gesturing vaguely to Sakura-chan.

I ran over to Sakura-chan, yanking away from Sasuke's grip. I bent over her and looked at her. Her emerald eyes were open, but they were staring blankly at something I couldn't see. I could see tear-tracks on her face.

"You bastard!" I yelled at Itachi. "What did you do to her?"

"Nothing," said Itachi with boredom.

"You Liar!" I yelled at him. "I saw you use your Sharingan on her!"

Itachi sighed. "She is no longer under its influence, Kyuubi."

"Sakura-chan," I said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Come on, Sakura-chan!"

Sakura-chan blinked. "N-Naruto…? I guess Sasuke-kun is with you too, then?"

"That's right!" I said happily. "We're here to save you!"

Sakura-chan's eyes widened a bit in surprise and then she turned her face down. "I'm not worth saving, Naruto…," she said.

"What?" Sasuke and I asked in surprise. I hadn't noticed that he was standing right next to me.

Sakura-chan looked up at us, with pain-filled eyes.

"I'm a bad person!" she yelled at us. "I don't deserve it!"

Sasuke and I looked at each other. Sakura-chan, nice, caring Sakura-chan, a bad person?

It was unbelievable.

Sakura's POV

When I came back to consciousness, all of my memories were back. I remembered my family, how they had always been there for me. And even so, I'd killed them.

_Why?_

And now Inner me wasn't there anymore either. I felt alone. All alone…but then a voice let me come to my senses.

I blinked and recognized it.

"N-Naruto…?" I asked. "I guess Sasuke-kun is with you too, then?" As I said that, Sasuke-kun walked over next to Naruto, never taking his eyes off of something across from him.

Naruto grinned. "That's right!" he told me cheerfully. "We're here to save you!"

My eyes widened in surprise.

_They came to save me…?_ I wondered hopefully. And then my hope crashed down onto a hard, cold floor, and was replaced by sadness and guilt. _They shouldn't have come…. I'm a murderer, a Fallen Angel, a sinner…I killed my own family! I don't deserve this…, deserve them. _

I looked down. I couldn't bear to see his happy face or Sasuke-kun's cold one. I didn't want to see the people who'd put themselves into so much danger for my sake. "I'm not worth saving, Naruto…," I muttered.

"What?" Sasuke-kun and Naruto both said at the same time. I looked up and saw both faces filled with shock.

I raised my head and looked at them. "I'm a bad person!" I yelled. They had to understand now, and get away while they still could. "I don't deserve it!" Sasuke-kun and Naruto exchanged surprised looks.

The memories of those who had vanished flashed through my head; the traitor Angel that I had killed, the images of my family ripped apart by _me_, and now Inner me who had disappeared so that I could have my memories back…all gone. _All_ of them were gone because of _me_. I didn't want to add to the list.

I could fight with them against the Akatsuki, and try to escape with them, but then I noticed something. At the hole that was the entrance, there was something unnatural there. It seemed to be made of chakra…it went around the entire cave.

Somehow, I knew that it wouldn't let our escape happen…. It probably wouldn't let anyone walk out without permission or an Akatsuki…something. The reason it let in Naruto and Sasuke-kun was probably because it was designed to let others in, so that the Akatsuki could trap their opponents if they ever made it inside….

_Isn't there anything I can do?!_

Then it came to me; what I should do. It was the only way….

_I'll have to hurt them…,_ I thought as I looked at the two Akatsuki members that I hadn't noticed. _To save them…._

"Leave...," I muttered. They didn't budge. "GET THE _HELL_ OUT OF HERE!" I shouted at the top of my lungs. There was a stunned silence. I stood up.

"Sakura...-chan?" Naruto asked in confusion.

"Sakura…," Sasuke-kun said.

"I came here out of my own choice!" I lied. "I _let_ Itachi take me away! I _want_ to help them out! You're getting in the way! _LEAVE!_"

I walked between Deidara and Itachi and linked my arms with theirs.

"Un…?" Deidara said in confusion.

"Un!" I said, nodding my head.

"Get out," I said at coolly in my normal voice. "The next time I see either of your faces, they'll be covered in your own blood."

"Don't be stupid…," Naruto said. His face was pained. "We're friends, Sakura-chan…."

It felt like someone was wrenching my heart, trying desperately to rip it out. But I sucked it up. I was doing this for them. I'd rather them be alive than dead.

"Not anymore!" I said, smirking.

"Sakura," said Sasuke-kun in a solid, unfazed tone. "Don't do something that you'll regret for our sake."

_Damn…he knows. But even so…!_

"What am I doing for your sake, Sasuke-kun?" I asked him coldly. "What am I going to regret?"

They weren't making any signs that they had any intention of leaving.

_Shit…I'll have to do it._

"I warned you…now leave!" I stepped forward. "Or I'll make you!"

"You wouldn't…," Sasuke-kun said.

I cackled crazily. Damn, I was way too convincing! I was about to convince myself, and that wasn't what I'd wanted. "Want to bet?" I asked.

Sasuke-kun's face twitched. Naruto looked determined.

_SHIT!_ I cursed inwardly. Nothing in my face changed, though. _SHIT! SHIT! SHIT! SHIT! SHIT! SHIT!_

I knew how to use them, now. The curse powers that I had brought down from my original home. The memories I'd gained let me use them.

But there was another thing about these powers that I'd learned; they were strong. Way, _way_ too strong. That much power would eventually drive me crazy and make me attack whoever and whatever I felt like. I'd have to make this quick.

I turned to look at Itachi. "May I?" I asked him.

He smirked and nodded. I could tell he saw through me like I was glass.

I began to draw up the chakra.

Sasuke-kun and Naruto both tensed; they could sense it, but they couldn't see it. They probably realized just how much chakra I was bringing out, and I wasn't even going to use one fourth of all of it.

"_Damn,_ un!" said Deidara from behind me.

My wings didn't come out; they only did that at half+ power.

I stretched it, making three invisible arms of chakra reaching out. An arm was creeping towards them. I wouldn't hurt them too bad, but I couldn't afford for them not to take me seriously.

"What the?!" Deidara's voice yelled in surprise.

I made it tap Naruto's shoulder and he jumped, swerving around to look at it. I swung the arm back to attack, and Sasuke-kun pushed Naruto out of the way, as I knew he would. Their hair blew around as the arm passed over their heads.

I made it go for Sasuke-kun's leg, and he dodged it by centimeters. The cave floor where his leg had been turned into a deep, semi-narrow hole.

I felt everyone's eyes on me.

"This is your last chance," I said. "Leave."

"…Naruto," Sasuke-kun said. "Come on."

"But we can't just-"

Sasuke-kun grew impatient. "Naruto!" he yelled. "Come on!"

Naruto's fist bawled up. "Damn it!" he said, and he fallowed Sasuke-kun out of the entrance.

"Hn," Itachi said behind me. "They're gone so you can move these things now."

He was referring to the other two arms I'd made, each wrapped around both Akatsuki members threateningly.

I released all of the chakra and sat on the cave floor, exhausted.

"What the hell was that for, un?!" Deidara asked.

"I'm sorry," I said. "But you wouldn't have let them go if I didn't do that, would you?"

There was a shocked pause and then he said, "You knew?"

"Yeah," I answered. "I noticed that barrier thing after a little while. It wasn't too hard to figure out what it was for."

"Smart girl," said Itachi. "But I'm afraid we will have to lock you up for now, until we figure out how to remove your powers."

I didn't argue. I knew that they wouldn't be able to do it, and they'd keep me alive while they experimented on me.

_At least they're safe…,_ I thought cheerfully. And I fallowed Itachi to my prison.

A/N: T^T I miss Inner Sakura…how about you guys? She really brought light to the story. That's the end of Chapter 29. It was super-dramatic. Please Review!^^


	30. Chapter 30

Fallen

Chapter 30: Hello.

Sasuke's POV

Once Naruto and I were out of the cave, we jumped onto a tree and began discussing what had just happened.

"Why did you make us leave, Sasuke?!" Naruto demanded.

"Because Sakura really wanted us to leave, dobe," I told him.

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Well, yeah, I kind of figured that out! She was freaking attacking us just to make us get out!"

"Yes," I said. "But she wasn't planning on hurting us. Well, not _too_ much, at least."

"So…she did that for us?" Naruto asked.

"Obviously, dobe," I said. "It's obvious that she didn't want to go with Itachi, no matter what she tries to make us believe. I'm guessing that there was some reason for her to do that, one that would force her to act like she betrayed us."

"Like what?" Naruto asked.

"I…don't know," I admitted.

"Damn," he cursed. "What are we going to do now?"

I sighed. "We'll have to head back to Tsunade and explain what happened. I'm sure that everybody at the tournament noticed what that something was up by now."

I didn't want to do it, but there was no helping it.

Naruto looked surprised. He'd clearly forgotten about the tournament. "Yeah," he said. "I'm sure that Tsunade-baachan's worried about Sakura-chan. She's her apprentice."

"Yeah," I agreed. "I bet she knows who Sakura is, too. But anyways, let's go. It'll probably take a while."

Naruto nodded and we started moving.

I pretended not to notice when Naruto looked back at the big rock where Sakura was. I forced myself not to copy him.

Sakura's POV

Itachi brought me to a small, windowless room with a thick steel door.

"You'll be staying here," he told me. "That will be your bathroom," he said, pointing to a bucket in the corner. "We'll bring you food every day."

And with that, he left.

_Damn it…,_ I thought. _I can't escape from this thing because of that barrier…damn it…. I don't even have any energy because of that time with Sasuke-kun and Naruto._

This was going to be different from my time in the hospital, very different. Then, I had a window and light. I could go to the bathroom and my friends would come and visit me. And I could talk with Inner me whenever we were alone….

Now I was all by myself, with nothing to do and no one to talk to. Well, maybe I could sing.

(A/N: This song is part of Hello by Evanescence. I don't own it. Feel free to listen to it while you read. ^^)

"Playground school bell rings…again…

Rain clouds come to play…again…

Has no one told you she's not breathing?

Hello, I'm your mind…, giving you someone to talk to…,

Hello…

If I smile and don't…believe…

Soon I know I'll wake…from this dream…

Don't try to fix me I'm not broken…

Hello, I'm the lie..., living for you so you can hide…,

Don't cry…

Suddenly I know I'm not sleeping,

Hello, I'm still here,

All that's left of yesterday…."

I swallowed the urge to cry when I'd finished the song. It was my fault, no, my _choice_ to be here. I'd be here in the place of the people I'd protected. It was all good…. It was fair….

Naruto's POV

After hours and hours of silent traveling, we were back in Konoha. It was around noon the next day. We went straight to the Hokage tower to talk to Tsunade-baachan.

We went into her office through the window; it was faster. When we tapped on the glass, Tsunade-baachan opened it.

"Naruto! Sasuke!" she said in surprise. She ushered us in and closed the window behind us. "Where's Saori? What happened?"

"Sakura-chan's with the Akatsuki," I told Tsunade-baachan.

"'Sakura'?" she asked in surprise.

"Yeah, Sakura-chan," I said. "But there are more important things to think about right now, Tsunade-baachan. Listen."

Together, Sasuke and I took up about an hour describing what had happened. When we'd finished, Tsunade-baachan ordered Shizune to go bring her a huge bottle of Sake and she slumped down into her seat looking exhausted.

"I see…," was all she said. When Shizune brought the bottle, Tsunade-baachan started chugging it down fast. When she stopped, her cheeks were flushed.

"We'll send the ANBU after her to find them," she said. "Give me that ring you were talking about."

"Tsunade-baachan!" I protested. "We want to go save Sakura-chan too!"

"Naruto!" she boomed, her eyes narrowing dangerously. "Are you contradicting me?"

I bawled up my fists in frustration. Why couldn't she understand?!

"Please," I said, lowering my voice. "Please, let us go to save Sakura-chan."

"Yeah," Sasuke said next to me. "I'm going to go."

Tsunade slammed her hands on her desk, cracking it in half. "I am _not_ going to let you two go!" she shouted.

"Why?!" I demanded. "Why aren't we aloud to go?! Sakura-chan is our friend! We can't just sit down and wait!"

Tsunade-baachan's eyes locked with mine. I didn't lower my gaze. She looked into Sasuke's onyx eyes too, and sighed.

"Fine," she said. "I'll let you go with the ANBU. Don't hold them up."

"Thanks!" I shouted at the top of my lungs.

Tsunade-baachan called over two ANBU squads and told us the plan. She said we'd be heading out tomorrow, and she told the ANBU to fallow us to the Akatsuki layer.

With that, we were all dismissed. I went back to my place to get ready, and Sasuke did the same.

_This time,_ I thought. _We'll definitely save you, Sakura-chan!_

Sakura's POV

I woke up as a fierce-looking man opened up my cell door. I hadn't even realized I was asleep until I'd opened my eyes.

The man wasn't in an Akatsuki cloak, so I guessed he was a subordinate or something. He shoved a tray into my room and closed the door again. I heard a lot of clicking and jingling sounds as he locked it up.

When I'd seen the tray, I could tell immediately what was on it; one single, finger sized fish. And they hadn't even given me any utensils.

I picked it up and took a bite of it, trying not to eat any fins, tail, or head parts. In two bites I'd eaten all of the seemingly edible pieces. My stomach growled.

But I still managed to smile. Because I knew that I was the only person that I knew getting this treatment. Naruto and Sasuke-kun were probably back home in Konoha, happily eating some pork ramen together.

I went back to sleep with that happy thought in mind. This time, I dreamed.

In my dream, I turned into a fish. Itachi, Naruto, and Sasuke-kun fought over who should get to put me in their ramen. In the end, an old cat swallowed me whole.

A/N: The reason that I wanted Sakura to sing Hello by Evanescence was because it really reminded me of her relationship with Inner Sakura. I wonder if you guys caught that? Well, that's the end of Chapter 30. Sakura's a prisoner singing songs, and Sasuke and Naruto are going to try and get her out again. Will they be able to with the help of two ANBU squads? Find out next time! Please Review!^^


	31. Chapter 31

Fallen

Chapter 31: Fishy Drugs.

Naruto's POV

The day for us to go and rescue Sakura-chan came. I had to wake up really early in the morning because we were setting out at 3:00 AM. Normally, I'd be complaining about it, but today it was different. The way I saw it, we couldn't set out early enough. We had to get Sakura-chan back. Who knew what kind of things they were doing to her in that hell hole?

While I was eating my breakfast, a cup of instant ramen, I thought about Sakura-chan. What the hell had happened yesterday? What kind of powers did she have? Did she have something other than a demon sealed inside of her?

I kept on brooding until I realized what time it was; 2:55 AM.

"DAMN IT!" I shouted. "I'M LATE!"

I grabbed my bag full of ninja equipment and dashed out of the door. When I got to the gates of Konoha, our meeting place, I saw everybody waiting for me. That bastard Sasuke was making an irritated expression at me.

"You're late," he said.

"What's making you so high and mighty?!" I demanded. I pointed my finger at him. "You've probably been late before too, you bastard! And I'm not nearly as late as Kakashi-sensei always is!"

Kakashi's POV

I woke up with a sneeze.

_A cold?_ I wondered, wiping my nose.

I shrugged and went back to sleep.

Sasuke's POV

That dobe Naruto was late. Even though it was the mission to rescue Sakura, he was still late. He made a big fuss out of me saying just two words, "You're late."

"What's making you so high and mighty?" he shouted at me, pointing an accusing finger at my face. "You've probably been late before too, you bastard! And I'm not nearly as late as Kakashi-sensei always is!"

He crossed his arms, looking pleased with himself.

I felt myself getting angry. Did he really think we had time for this shit?

"Dobe," I said calmly. "We can talk about this later. Right now, we need to get going."

Naruto grinned confidently. "Yeah," he said. "Let's go rescue Sakura-chan!" He punched the air with his fist.  
"…Dobe," I said. And with that, I began to head out.

I heard Naruto's voice catching up to me, yelling, "What did you call me, you bastard?!"

The ANBU members' footsteps could be heard behind me, too.

"I called you a dobe," I said.

Naruto was now next to me. "Damn you, Sasuke!"

"Shut up," I told him. "Do you want to let the enemy know we're close?"

"…Hmph!" Naruto said. "When this mission is over, I'm making you treat me to ramen for calling me a dobe!"

"Hn," I said. If he wanted to dream, then I wasn't going to stop him.

After about five hours had passed, we stopped about half a mile from the cave. We'd gone over the information we knew about it before Naruto had arrived, but we needed to go through the plan we'd come up with, just in case.

Sakura's POV

When I woke up, I was still in my dirty little cell. There was barely any light except for what came through a small hole in the wall that I hadn't noticed before. It had a diameter of about one centimeter.

I crawled over and put my eye up to it. It wasn't much, but at least I had something to do. To my surprise, I saw a black shoe and the bottom of a black cloak. Why was someone there? I wanted to make the hole bigger, so I could see more. And so I tried to draw out my chakra, but…it didn't work.

_Why?_

I tried again. And again, my chakra didn't come out.

_What the…?_

And then it hit me. I remembered something that Tsunade-sama had told me when we were training.

"_Sakura," Tsunade-sama said. "What do you think could halt chakra flow?"_

"_Yeah," I'd answered her, "The Hyuuga clan's Byakugan technique."_

"_Kind of," she said. "It's true that the Hyuuga clan can use Byakugan to see chakra release points, and cut off the flow of chakra. But there's something else, too."_

"_Um…," I thought hard. "I don't know."_

_"A drug," she said. "There is a specially made drug that can be used to temporarily nullify chakra release points, cutting off the flow of chakra. I'm not surprised that you didn't know about it, though, since it isn't well known. The Hidden Villages try to keep the knowledge of this drug a secret, so no one can abuse it."_

To tell the truth, I couldn't see how using it on anyone wouldn't be abusing it.

Anyways, it looked like I was being drugged. But just knowing it wouldn't do anything.

_Damn it!_

I guess that meant I would have to stop eating completely. But how could I do that without them noticing? I had no where to put the food except for…

_Oh, no.... Don't tell me that…_

I glanced at the stupid little bucket that I was supposed to use as a bathroom. I hadn't used it at all.

I nearly threw up at the thought.

_I guess that there's no choice…,_ I thought despairingly.

I lied down on my back and began to think. I needed to concentrate on what I was supposed to do. How could I escape? Could I escape? _Should_ I escape?

_Well, I guess I have a lot of time to think about it._

Naruto's POV

After we'd gone over the plan, we started moving again. I couldn't help but go full speed. Sasuke wasn't having any trouble keeping up. The ANBU were back by a dozen or so feet, saving their energy for a fight.

Then it came into view; that waterfall and giant rock. We stopped right in front of it. Sasuke took out the ring and waited for the others to catch up. Once we were all there, Sasuke slipped on the ring and fit it into the circular hole.

The door opened.

We nodded at each other, and the first ANBU squad went in first. Sasuke and I fallowed them, and the second ANBU squad took the rear. We silently crept into the shadows.

This time, it didn't look like anybody was around. No Akatsuki members appeared. If I didn't know any better, I would've thought it was deserted.

We looked around for an entrance and found the beginning of a corridor in the cave. It was lit by torches on the walls.

_Torches, huh? They're a classic._

We walked along the way and we came to a fork. We'd already gone over what would happen if there was more than one way; we'd split up. To communicate with other groups, we'd use hidden microphones in our ears and clothes.

Sasuke and I took the middle, while the other ANBU groups went in the other tunnels.

Carefully, the two of us walked down the tunnel.

Sakura's POV

I didn't know how long afterwards it was, but I heard a knock on my door. There was a jingling of keys and shifting of locks, and the steel door swung open.

A/N: CLIFFHANGER! …Well, sort of.^^' Who was it at the door? Will Sasuke and Naruto find Sakura? Will they be able to rescue their damsel in distress? Sorry, but Sakura isn't any damsel! XD And I used Kakashi's POV! XD Yay~! Anyways, find out next chapter!^^ Please Review guys! See you next time! XD


	32. Chapter 32

Fallen

Chapter 32: Enter, Loopy! Where's the Pizza?

Sakura's POV

I don't know how long afterwards it was, but I heard a knock on my door. There was a jingling of keys and shifting of locks, and the steel door swung open.

A guy in an orange, swirly mask was standing in the doorway. He was wearing an Akatsuki cloak. This put me on my guard; he couldn't be underestimated. I tensed up and got into a ready position.

"Who are you?" I asked him wearily.

"Tobi is Tobi," said the person in a singsong voice.

"Why are you here?" I asked him.

"Tobi was told to pick up Sakura-chan," he explained. I stood up.

"Why?"

"Because Sakura-chan has to meet somebody!" he explained cheerfully.

"Who?" I said.

Tobi scratched the back of his neck. "Tobi thinks Sakura-chan has to meet Karin-chan. Karin-chan is mean to Tobi," he added, drooping his head a bit.

Just how old was he?!

"I see," I said.

Then something extremely unexpected happened. Tobi was on his knees and threw his arms around my waist. I couldn't help but blush. He dug his mask into my stomach.

"Karin-chan bullies Tobi!" he whined.

I patted the top of his head awkwardly. "I-I'm sorry…."

Tobi stood up and flowers appeared behind him.

_WHAT THE HELL?! _

"Sakura-chan is very nice!" he cried joyfully.

I smiled a little. "Thank you," I sweat dropped.

_I should start calling this guy Loopy because of that weird mask and personality...._

"Come with Tobi!" he yelled enthusiastically, grabbing my hand. I blushed even more.

He took me out into the light and I gasped. When I saw my arm, it didn't look like it normally did. There were small, slightly red circular things swelling on my skin. I recognized them as chakra release points. I knew that there were three hundred and sixty one chakra release points in all. I would probably be able to find them all over my body if I looked.

"Sakura-chan has chicken pocks!" Tobi exclaimed.

"No…," I said. "Sakura-ch-I mean, I don't have chicken pocks."

Tobi was quiet for a few seconds, and we kept on walking. "Then what does Sakura-chan have?"

"Sa-I mean, I don't know…," I lied. "But I know it's not chicken pox because it doesn't itch." I explained, trying to avoid any suspicion.

"Eh? Tobi sees!"

While we walked, Tobi told me about his favorite foods (candy, cake, and ice cream) and his favorite animals (bunnies, squirrels, and unicorns) while I listened and became more and more bemused.

Then we reached a big room. Unlike the rest of the lair, it didn't look like it was in a cave. The walls and ceilings were white…and there were a lot of machines and a working table like the ones doctors operate on people with…. I gulped when I noticed the straps. Tobi lead me in and left with a cheery "Bye-bye, Sakura-chan!"

"Bye!" I said, smiling.

_Eh?! What am I doing?! EH?! HE'S THE ENEMY! I CAN'T SAY 'BYE' TO THE ENEMY!_

Loopy was getting to me….

I shook my head and looked at the person standing in front of me.

She had red hair and glasses, was wearing a white lab coat, and was examining a clipboard in one of her well manicured hands. The other was placed on her hip.

"Um…?" I said. She looked up.

"What?" she snapped.

I began to lose my fear of the strap-table-thing and replaced it with irritation at her bitchiness.

"What am I doing here?" I asked.

"You?" she said extremely slowly and loud, as if talking to a different species that was def. "You, girl, are here for testing."

_T-testing?_

"I, a professional doctor, am here to test on you." She picked up tool with a round blade at the end. It looked like a pizza cutter, but I didn't see any pizza…. She began to mime cutting something up with it. I shivered.

Then I asked her, "Why do you need to test on me?"

"_Why?_" she smiled tauntingly. "Are you _that_ stupid? Do you really need me to _explain_ for you?"

Before I could answer, she went on, "Fine, I'll tell you _why_. You, girly, have special powers that the Akatsuki wants. So, the Akatsuki hired me to figure out how to get those powers out of you so they can have them. Understand?"

"What I meant," I said angrily. "Was why do they need to test on me like this? I don't think it'll help them if I die."

"You're not going to die," she chuckled. "I'm a professional. I am perfectly capable of keeping my patients alive. But you're right, it wouldn't help them."

I didn't care how good this woman was. There was no way she'd be able to take away my powers. If Angels couldn't, then she couldn't either.

I was going to be cut open for no reason.

"Let's start," said Karin with a nasty smile. She took out a needle and injected it into me. "This is a pain killer. You won't be feeling anything for a while. Get on that," she told me, pointing to the table with straps.

"I-is that really necessary?" I stuttered.

"Get on or I'll make you!" she said.

Grudgingly, I did as I was told. She strapped my arms, legs, feet, and waist down to the table. I was completely defenseless. The medicine was starting to take effect; I couldn't feel a single bit of my body.

"Let's begin," she said. And she took the pizza cutter-like tool in her hand, putting a mask over her face.

Sasuke's POV

We had been here for about half an hour and there still wasn't any sign of Sakura or the Akatsuki.

_Where are they?_

I'd already tried to sense her chakra, but I couldn't detect it. Was she masking it on purpose? All of the ANBU, Naruto, and I had masked our chakra the second we were within a mile of this place.

I couldn't sense the Akatsuki either. Although, it did make sense; if they didn't want other ninja coming here, the obvious thing to do would be to mask their chakra.

We kept on walking for another while. Then we heard something from the other groups in our microphones.

"We've found something...it looks like a cell, and there was a few strands of pink hair in it," said the captain of the first ANBU squad.

"Did you find anything else?" I whispered.

There was a shifting noise. "Yes…," he said. "There was a bucket and the remains of a dead fish…it looks like it was eaten," he concluded.

"That's all?" I asked.

The ANBU captain answered, "Yes."

"Can you try and find where they took her?" I asked.

"Yes, sir," he said. And the connection broke.

Naruto grinned. "Sakura-chan…," he said. "We're going to find her, right, Sasuke?"

I paused before answering, "Dobe."

"You bastard, Sasuke!" Naruto shouted angrily at me.

The damn idiot was way too loud.

"Shut up!" I hissed.

But it was too late.

"Well, well, well…," said a cold, way-too-familiar voice. "If it isn't my foolish little brother and his Kyuubi friend…."

I clenched my fist. My lungs felt like they were going to burst with anger.

I started making the Chidori. "ITACHI!!!!!!!!!!!!" I yelled, full of hatred. I swerved around and faced my brother.

_Itachi…!_

A/N: Well, that's the end of Chapter 32.^^ Okay, so I just couldn't help but put Tobi in here! I mean, he's too adorable (even if he's kinda evil)~! Tobi is a good boy! I LOVE TOBIIIIII~!!!!!!!!!!!!!! *ahem* Anyways, please review~! Geez, I wonder what that bitch Karin is going to _do_ to Sakura. 0.0 Find out next chapter! See you!^^

P.S. Check out my new story Listen to My Story, guys!


	33. Chapter 33

Fallen

Chapter 33: Sasuke's Battle! The Worst Torture?

Naruto's POV

Sasuke was really pissed when he saw Itachi. He started up a Chidori and yelled, "ITACHI!!!!!!!!!!!!"

He attacked right then and there, but missed Itachi, who'd jumped out of the way. Itachi just stood there, dodging the minimum amount necessary while Sasuke was kicking, punching, and throwing shuriken at him as fast as he could.

_This guy isn't someone to just mess around with…, _I thought. _Itachi…he's just playing with Sasuke! We're wasting time…Sakura-chan could be anywhere, and they could be doing anything to her…but still…._

I knew how important it was for Sasuke to avenge his clan. Should I just leave him here to fight on his own?

_No!_ I immediately answered myself._ Itachi's way too strong for me to leave him alone with! But then…what about Sakura-chan? If only I could be in two places at once…oh, wait. I can!_

I bonked myself on the head for not thinking of it sooner. Duh! Shadow clones!

I made ten shadow clones.

"You guys know what to do!" I yelled at them. "Go!"

"YEAH!" they all yelled at once, and then they dashed off.

I turned back to watch Sasuke's battle. If I had to, I'd interfere. But for now all I could do was watch, because this was something that Sasuke wanted to do himself.

Sakura's POV

"Let's begin," she said. And she took the pizza-cutter like tool in her hand, putting a mask over her face.

I closed my eyes tightly shut right as she lowered it to my stomach. What the hell was the Akatsuki expecting her to do, surgically remove my chakra? I didn't feel anything as she worked. I only heard the clinking of metal and a slight slicing noise. I winced. I didn't _want_ to hear a slicing noise. Slicing noises were never a good sign.

Then I heard a strange buzzing noise. I opened one eye a crack and saw a small but bright blue light…. Oh, shit. What the hell?!

My eyes opened in shock involuntarily. I quickly shut them again, but it was too late; I'd already seen everything. There was lots of red…but what was she doing with _that_? To tell the truth, I didn't know exactly what it was, but I wasn't stupid enough not to recognize the fact that an instrument with a visible electric current (kind of like a tazer but kind of different) was heading for my stomach.

_Oh, God!_

Sasuke's POV

I barely heard it while Naruto made and directed his shadow clones. I just kept on attacking Itachi.

But none of my attacks ever hit. And he looked fucking _bored_.

Finally, he did something other than dodge; he gave me one, sharp hit in the back of my neck. He got a pressure point and my body began getting limp. I was moving loosely.

"Damn…!" I cursed.

_I'm not strong enough! _I thought angrily. _The difference in our power is completely different…._

I knew that I had to end this soon, because we hadn't come here to avenge clans. But how was I supposed to just ignore him? Especially when he was right in front of me….

_Then…I'll have to finish this with _that!

Naruto's POV

I knew what was going to happen a split second before it did. And realizing it in less than a second before it did doesn't give you a ton of time to try and stop it. But I tried anyways.

"You idiot!" I shouted. I began running at him.

I'd only seen it once, when he'd lost control in our first chunin exams. Actually, that was the when he'd got it. And that was plenty enough; I didn't want to see him use it again.

But it was too late. The marks began spreading out across his body and you could feel it; the building up of lots and lots of evil chakra.

Sasuke was releasing his cursed seal. The one that asshole Orochimaru had given him.

Itachi didn't seem the least bit interested in this development. Instead of looking at Sasuke, his eyes were focused on me. On the Jinchuuriki.

Sasuke's seal was acting differently than from before. No, actually it was just going farther than before. The marks were covering his body more and more, and there were things starting to sprout from his back. They looked like bat wings, but at the same time kind of like giant webbed hands.

He began to make a Chidori. This one was different from his normal Chidori; it was somehow darker. And bigger. And stronger, no doubt.

He charged.

Sasuke's POV

I charged. Itachi's eyes flickered from Naruto to me for a second, and then they reverted back to Naruto. My Chidori connected with its target. Just not the target Naruto or Itachi were expecting.

Stalagmites began to crumble from the cave ceiling I'd hit. They cascaded down, and soon there was an entire wall of rubble separating Itachi from us.

"Hn," I said, reverting back to my usual self. "Next time I won't stop for anybody."

Naruto grinned like the dobe he was and ran over to me.

"I sent out some Shadow Clones to help look for Sakura-chan," he told me. I nodded. We began walking again. All the while, even though we were looking for Sakura, I couldn't help but think about how much of a difference there was between Itachi and I. Was I that weak? Was he still so much better than me? Even though I'd always been training….

Sakura's POV

I didn't feel it when Karin used the electric thingy because my body was still pretty much useless when it came to feeling things. But that still didn't make the thought any more pleasant. What kind of freaking reaction was she planning on getting? I was starting to doubt she wasn't trying to kill me.

Even though I'd closed my eyes, it was impossible for me to close my ears. I heard everything that was going on; the clinking of metal, the buzz of electricity, Karin's breathing, and her movements.

To be honest, it was damn boring. And I couldn't really do anything but stay in that same position, so I just dozed off and eventually fell asleep.

When I woke up, Karin was still playing operation. And there was yet another problem; I had to go to the bathroom. But would she let me? I mean, that was like the oldest trick in the book when it came to escaping some random villain lair.

"Um…," I began awkwardly. "I need to go to the bathroom…."

I didn't get a reply. Karin just kept on working.

"I really need to go to the bathroom…," I said. Come on, woman!

She snorted, "That's the oldest trick in the book."

_No dip, Sherlock_.

"But I really need-"

"Oh, shut up!" she snapped.

_This is the worst torture yet…,_ I thought darkly.

I opened my eyes. Desperate times called for desperate measures.

"OH, _HELL_!" I shouted. "I'M FUCKING SERIOUS! LET ME GO TO THE BATHROOM OR I'LL GO RIGHT HERE!"

I began to thrash around uselessly at the straps.

Karin looked alarmed. "I can't let you go to the bathroom," she said. "You're in the middle of testing. That wouldn't do any good."

_Who cares if your operation won't go well? I need to go to the bathroom!_

"LET ME GO!" I shouted.

A new voice came from behind me. "Karin," it said. "What are you doing? You're supposed to be testing, not fighting with her. I'm not going to pay you a single percent of what you're charging me if you don't do your job."

"Look, Kazuku," she said. "It's not my fault the little bitch is like this!"

"LET ME GO TO THE BATHROOM!" I screamed, hoping that Kazuku would tell her to let me go.

"Shut her up," he said. "Give her a shot or something."

Karin nodded and my consciousness began to slip away.

A/N: T.T Poor, poor Sakura! That's the end of Chapter 33. Please Review!^^ And check out my new fanfic Listen to My Story! XD


	34. Chapter 34

Fallen

Chapter 34: Die, Sasuke! Uchiha Echolocation.

Sasuke's POV

"I've found her!" Naruto shouted out for the world to hear.

"Shut up, dobe," I told him quietly. Did he _want_ half a dozen Akatsuki members to attack us?

"Sorry," he apologized. "But I've found her! One of my clones found Sakura-chan!"

"Where is she?" I asked.

"She's in this weird room…it's really white. I don't remember too much because that Akatsuki guy attacked me before-"

"Somebody noticed you?!"

"Yeah…but it's no big deal, really," he assured me.

I sighed. "Dobe."

"How am I a dobe now?!" he demanded, instantly flaring up. "I found her, didn't I?"

"Yeah, you did," I agreed. "But now the Akatsuki are going to try and find us."

He shrugged. "They probably already will. I mean, it's not like Itachi wouldn't have told the rest of those guys that you were here after your fight."

At the sound of his name, my lungs felt like they'd explode with anger. I punched the cave wall right next to me, making rocks fall.

"Whoa, _chill_, Sasuke," Naruto said.

"Just take me to where she is," I told him.

After about half an hour, Naruto stopped in front of a windowless, metal door.

"This is it," he whispered.

"How do we get in?" I asked.

Naruto pointed silently to a vent that was seven to ten feet above the door.

I nodded. We both climbed to the top and slipped into it. It smelled horrible. Like a mixture of dust and medicine.

After a while of crawling, I stopped. There was another vent that looked like it was on a ceiling seeing as it was on the bottom for us. I looked down.

Naruto's POV

When my clone had been here, he'd only caught a glimpse of Sakura-chan's pink hair before being found. So I hadn't really noticed many details about the room or Sakura-chan. But this time was different. This time, I saw it all.

It was horrible.

Sakura-chan was in a white, white room. Kind of like at the hospital in Konoha. Except this place gave you a really creepy feeling. Konoha Hospital only gave you a kinda creepy feeling.

She was lying down on one of those what-do-you-call-its that freaky scientists strap people to. Her eyes (which had bags under them)d were closed, showing that she was unconscious. There were hundreds of dots visible on her body. Somehow, they looked familiar. Some lady with red hair was bent over Sakura-chan's middle, holding what looked like dissecting tools in her hands. When she moved to switch one of them, I had a hard time not throwing up.

_Damn,_ I thought.

I looked up at Sasuke to find out what the plan was, but stopped at the look on his face. It wasn't cool like normal. The expression was twisted; a mixture of shock, anger, and horror. I couldn't blame him.

After a while, he met my gaze.

I caught a bit of movement below us and looked down again. Sakura-chan was stirring.

Sakura's POV

My eyes flew open the second that I'd regained consciousness. Karin was still hovering over me. I was beginning to think she was the screwed up female reincarnation of Victor Frankenstein.

"Oh, damn," Karin cursed. "She's awake. Should I give her another shot?"

"You might kill her if you give her too many doses," that guy from before, Kazuku, said. Karin faced him. "And you never know what might happen to _you_ if she does, Karin."

"Are you _threatening_ me?!" she demanded. She shivered despite herself.

"What are you going to do if I am? Quit?" he asked calmly, with a hint of amusement in his voice.

Karin bit her lip. She swerved her body to face her work (a.k.a.: me) and picked up the tools again.

I hoped that the pain killer wouldn't wear off any time soon. Because she was bound to take her anger out on something. And having Karin taking her anger out on me while she was holding sharp tools and I was strapped down helplessly wasn't a pleasant thought.

She started working again. Luckily, it seemed like I was still as numb as an ice cube for now. Although somehow, I still needed to go to the bathroom despite the pain killers. Weird.

I began to think about Naruto and Sasuke-kun as I lied there.

_What are they doing right now?_

The image of Naruto and Sasuke-kun fighting at a ramen shop came into my head.

_Are they happy?_

I remembered Sasuke-kun's calm/bored expression and Naruto's grinning face.

_Where are they? On a mission? Or are they training?_

This time I saw Naruto and Sasuke-kun both relaxing at our normal meeting place.

_I haven't known them for very long as Saori. And I haven't been gone that long, either. But still…, I wonder…if they miss me._

My mind's eye was completely blank.

Sasuke's POV

Naruto looked down. I looked down too, just in time to see Sakura open her eyes. We watched as the other two people who were there had their argument. Sakura didn't notice us, she just watched the red-head bitch get threatened by the guy.

The red-head turned back to face Sakura and started doing who-knew-what to her.

I looked up again, to find Naruto already looking at me. His face was serious.

"What's the plan?" he mouthed.

I shook my head. I had no idea what the two who were there were capable of. It would be stupid, Naruto-Level stupid (oh, the horror), to just jump in.

But I couldn't just sit here and do nothing either. The priority was to get Sakura back to Konoha, alive, with Naruto and me (hopefully also alive) and the rest of the ANBU members.

_Oh, wait. _The ANBU! I'd completely forgotten about them since we hadn't been making that much contact for a while. I could use them to distract the people over

But what if they heard us? I wasn't Harry Potter. I couldn't just wave a fancy stick and say some weird word that would knock them unconscious or render them immobile.

_Then…._

I gestured for Naruto to go back. He looked confused, but did it anyways.

We both got out of the vent and walked out of earshot of the door. I whispered my idea to Naruto, who beamed.

"Great! Let's just-" but he suddenly stopped talking.

"What is it, dobe?" I asked him, irritated.

He shot me a glare and then said, "Sasuke…how are they going to find here? They could be anywhere, and they don't know their way around this place. Unless any of them made a shadow clone and that Shadow Clone came over here and crawled into a vent then disappeared, there's no way they'll know where it is."

The dobe had a point.

Then I got an idea.

"Naruto, recall your Shadow Clones," I told him.

Naruto's POV

"Naruto, recall your Shadow Clones," Sasuke told me.

"Eh? Why?" I asked.

"Just do it," he hissed.

I did. The memories of all of them flooded into me. None of them had found this place.

"Now, make two more," he directed.

I did that, too.

"You two know where Sakura is, don't you?" he asked them.

"What, do you think we're stupid?" one asked.

"Yes," Sasuke answered.

"Die!" all three of us shouted at him.

"Anyways, original Naruto," he looked around, trying to find me. I raised my hand. "We'll find out the general area that the ANBU squads are using these," he pointed to his ear.

"Using our ears?" I asked, confused. How the hell were we supposed to do that? I don't know if Uchiha's have another special bloodline that I hadn't heard about, but last time I checked humans couldn't use echolocation.

"No," he sighed. "Using the microphones. Then, we'll send out your clones and they'll guide the two ANBU squads here. Got it?"

_Oh. _

"Yeah, I got it," I said.

"Finally," Sasuke sighed.

"Die!" all three of us shouted again.

A/N: That's the end of Chapter 34! Please review, guys!


	35. Chapter 35

Fallen

Chapter 35: S and N.

Sasuke's POV

We managed to get in touch with both of the ANBU squads without any problems. After finding their general location (none of our three groups knew how to describe the exact location for anyone), Naruto sent out his clones.

After about an hour of waiting, both squads arrived safely.

"Those doors…," said an ANBU captain doubtfully, "They look strong."

"Don't worry about them," I told him. "All you have to do is focus on your parts. Ready?"

Everyone nodded.

"Go."

The dobe made a Shadow Clone and did his rasengan watchamacallit on the door. It flew off.

_Alright._

Sakura's POV

You know, it's really weird to be helplessly strapped to a metal bored, watching some red-haired stranger run _revolting_ experiments on your body. But you know what's even weirder? Having a thick metal door flying inches above your face while you're helplessly strapped to a metal bored, watching some red haired stranger run _revolting_ experiments on your body.

Well, actually, Karin wasn't running experiments at the moment. She was too busy cursing at the metal door that had nearly ripped her head off.

"Stupid, mother fucking, son of a-"

She was interrupted by a hallucination. Or, so I thought. I mean, how could it be anything other than a hallucination? It definitely wasn't a dream; I could tell I was still conscious. But it wasn't real, either. So the hallucination theory was all I had for now.

"Sakura-chan!" said hallucination number N.

"Sakura!" said hallucination number S.

Hallucinations number S and N (wow. With one more line, it could turn into 'Hallucinations number S and M'.) rushed to my side.

"Sakura-chan, you look horrible," said N.

_Gee, thanks_.

"Are you alright?" S asked.

_Of course. It's not like my insides are _exposed_ to the world._

"Go away. I don't want to see you two," I told my hallucinations. If my mind subconsciously printed their images into my vision (I think the science-y room is getting to me), then I'd start thinking about the real ones. And I didn't _want_ that.

There was a shocked silence.

"But…Sakura-chan…," said N.

I closed my eyes, frustrated. Why wouldn't these dumb figments of my damn imagination understand?!

"Look," I said, opening them again. "I'm sure you're happy to pretend you exist, but you two are nothing compared to the real things! Nothing! Go back to the back of my head, where you belong!"

"…Sasuke," N said. "I don't get it. Sakura-chan is saying weird things."

S looked down at me, looking a bit concerned. I was surprised. Why was my subconciousness showing hallucination number S with such an un-S-ish expression? Where was the normal cold glare?

"They must've drugged her with something to confuse her," S said concernedly. "We need to get back to Konoha to have her looked at immediately. Her chakra points are showing through her skin, too…it doesn't look good."

"But how are we supposed to take her back with…?" N gestured hopelessly at my stomach.

"HEY!" I shouted. Both of them looked at me. "You two aren't taking me anywhere, okay?! Neither of you _exist_! It's impossible for you to help me escape from this hell hole!"

I felt so furious!

S and N stared at me, looking dumbfounded.

"Sakura…-chan…?" Nar- I mean, N asked. He looked scared.

_That's right! Be afraid! Be _VERY_ afraid! Be so afraid, you disappear from sight,_ DAMMIT!

"Why did you have be here?!" I demanded, tears welling me eyes. "Why did you two have to suddenly pop into my vision, and make me remember them?! I don't want to remember them! If I remember those two…," I sobbed. I couldn't help it. The pain and loneliness of this God forsaken place was rushing through me. "If I remember them…I'll want to go back even more!"

"Sakura…," S said.

Then something in his non-existent mind seemed to click.

Sasuke's POV

I was bewildered at Sakura's reaction.

_Has she lost it? Did they torture her to insanity?! Could they have drugged her? Yeah, that must be it. Sakura _can't_ be crazy. It has to be some sort of drug they forced her to take. Yeah, that must be it._

"Sakura…," I said, completely worried.

Then I understood. This wasn't the effect of a drug; it was an effect of _confusion._ She was mistaking us for being figments of her imagination. She seemed to believe there was no way we could be here, in this room with her. To her, probably…the two of us didn't exist.

_Wow,_ I thought._ One day in this place and _this_ is how a normal person reacts. _

"Sakura," I said again. "Naruto and I are real. We're both really here."

Sakura shook her head. "No, you're not. You two are in Konoha, happily fighting over ramen. You're competing against each other, just like always. Sasuke-kun is calling Naruto a dobe, and Naruto's flaring up. You two are _definitely_ not here!"

She started to cry.

"Sakura-chan…," said Naruto. He grabbed her hand (which was strapped down), and held it. "You can feel me, right?"

I did the same, catching on. "You can feel us. We're both here, Sakura."

She stopped crying. Her face had flushed from crying. But now, it was getting redder and redder.

_Why…?_

"_Idiots…!_" she said. "After all I went through to keep you two out of here! Geez!" She smiled. "Well, whatever. You're already here. Did you two come alone?"

"I guess she can't see them, Sasuke," Naruto said, nodding to the ANBU who were securing the red-head and fighting the Akatsuki guy.

Speaking of the Akatsuki guy....

"Come on, Naruto!" I said, letting go of Sakura's hand.

"Eh?" Sakura said. We ran over to join in the fighting.

Sakura's POV

Right when I'd found out that S and N-I mean, Sasuke-kun and Naruto were real, they left.

_Why? _

I heard lots of action going on to my left, though I couldn't see anything.

They must be fighting that Akatsuki guy….

"God!" I heard Naruto say. "Does this guy _ever_ die?! And what's with his body?"

"Naruto, target the masks!" Sasuke-kun shouted.

It felt like I'd been sitting there forever when finally, Naruto shouted. "Alright!" and not long after that, "Ouch!"

"Naruto, are you alright?" asked Sasuke-kun.

"I'm fine," Naruto panted. "Get that red head to stitch Sakura-chan up. We can take her away after that…."

"I won't do it!" shrieked Karin. "Well…," her tone changed from bitchy to flirty. "If _you_ give me some payment, maybe…."

Anger was pressing on my lungs. (A/N: And she doesn't even know who she's flirting with…. -.-')

"I won't pay you anything," Sasuke-kun snarled. "Stitch her up and we'll let you leave this place alive."

"Hmph!" Karin said.

I heard footsteps, and she walked over to my side.

"I've finished," said Karin after some time.

"Good," Naruto said. "Now, let her go."

Karin unstrapped me.

"Good," Naruto repeated. I heard a *thump!* and the sound of something heavy landing on the floor.

I tried to get up, but my body was too numb for such a big movement. "I can't move…," I said. "She gave me painkillers before experimenting…."

"'Painkillers'?" Sasuke-kun said.

"'Experimenting'!?" said Naruto.

Sasuke-kun picked me up, and we walked out of the room, fallowed by the ANBU squads.

I was worried.

"Naruto," I said. "Sasuke-kun…."

I had both of their attention.

"I'm sorry, about before…," I apologized. "The reason I made you two leave was because, actually…."

"What?!" Naruto exclaimed a few minutes later. "A barrier of chakra?! Then, why did it let us in?"

"To trap anyone who comes inside," I said darkly.

It was like a cat trapping a mouse in its own hole. The mouse thought it was safe, but in reality, the cat was the one with the advantage.

"Then, how did we get out in the first place?" asked Naruto.

"Because I forced the Akatsuki present to let you go," I answered.

"Well, then!" Naruto said, grinning like he normally did. "You can just do it again, can't you?"

I sighed. I really didn't want to disappoint him, but I couldn't let his hopes get up, either. "No," I replied. "I can't."

Even Sasuke-kun looked shocked.

"Why?" he asked.

"I…can't tell you the details," I told him in an apologetic tone. "But for now, I can't use my chakra."

"None of it?!" Naruto exclaimed.

I nodded.

"Damn," Sasuke-kun said. "Then what should we do?"

A/N: That's the end of Chapter 35!^^ Sasuke and Naruto have found and semi-rescued Sakura now, but can they get out? And also~, did you like it? If you did, I wanna know! Did you hate it? If you did, I still wanna know~!^^ So please review and tell me how you felt about this chapter, okay? See ya next time guys! XD


	36. Chapter 36

Fallen

Chapter 36: Boom.

Sakura's POV

"Damn," Sasuke-kun said. "Then what should we do?"

"Well…," I said carefully, making several different scenarios in my head as I spoke. "The only way I see it is that we'll have to somehow make them to let us out somehow or…." I shuddered at the thought.

"Kill them all," Sasuke-kun finished for me. "But that's going to be difficult, if not impossible."

I nodded.

"How would we make them let us out?" Naruto asked.

I shook my head. "That would also be fairly difficult. They're all so strong…and if we took one as hostage, there's no guarantee the others or even the _hostage_ will care. I don't think they'd commit suicide, because that would kill me and Naruto, who they need. But, still…."

I tried to keep positive, but under these hopeless circumstances, it wasn't easy.

All faces were serious, thinking about what I'd said.

"You guys," I said to the ANBU squads. "Do you think we'll be able to take them with our current abilities combined?"

They were silent for a while, glancing at each other. My heart sunk before they spoke.

"Probably…not," said an ANBU member.

Then…we'll just have to use strategy.

"What do you know about the Akatsuki members and their abilities?" I asked.

After a while, maybe an hour or so, we'd reached the exit. Or where we _would_ be able to exit if the damn Akatsuki members would let us out!

The painkillers' effects had worn off, and I was standing again, although tired. I couldn't help but notice the feeling that there were lots of eyes on me (more like, lots of eyes on my oh-so-visible chakra points), but I told myself to ignore them; now wasn't the time to be self conscious.

"Leaving so soon?" a deep voice breathed into my ear. "Even though you _know _you can't…."

_Itachi._

I heard shuffling behind me, as the ANBU squads, Sasuke-kun, and Naruto all shuffled around. I couldn't see them though, because I was scared that if I turned my head, Itachi would do his Mangekyou Sharingan shmoogle whatever on me.

"Bastard…," I heard Sasuke-kun say.

I felt Itachi shift a bit. "My foolish little brother…," he acknowledged. "Aren't you friendly?"

I bit my lip. The drugs were still working their 'magic' on me (god, they took forever!).

But right now, I _so_ wanted to whack Itachi in the face.

Even so, I restrained myself. It would be a problem if I provoked him while I was virtually powerless.

I heard Naruto make some Shadow Clones. One of them was standing in front of me.

"Sakura-chan!" he said, grinning. "Don't make that face! We're going to get out of here."

I must've looked worried (which I sure as hell was). I smiled at him. "Thanks, Naruto," I said.

"Ah! Sakura-chan, watch out!"

I whipped around and saw three shuriken whizzing towards me. I grabbed them and flung them at Itachi, who dodged like it was nothing. (and to him, it probably was.)

Heh. Well at least I could still play 'catch'.

_Wait…catch? That's it!_

I reached for my bag, only to find it wasn't there.

_Shit,_ I thought. _Of course. The Akatsuki must've taken it._

"You guys!" I said to the Shadow Clones (about twelve of them) closest to me. "Give me your ninja equipment!"

"Why? Sakura-chan, what's up?" one asked, confused.

I sighed in exasperation. "Just give it."

They each handed it over, and I rummaged through one to check out the merchandise.

I smirked. Perfect.

"I'll need your help," I told them.

Sasuke's POV

I was busy helping Naruto with Itachi (the gap in our strength was REALLY pissing me off), but I still somehow managed to notice Sakura and one of Naruto's clones doing something with his tools.

_What are they up to?_

One of the ANBU members used a fire jutsu, bringing my attention back to the fight.

Then…

"Itachi!" I heard Sakura shout. "Catch!"

And three shiny…balls were up in the air, right above the fight.

The balls (which I now recognized as a cluster of weapons), and Itachi was showered in kunai and shuriken. He blocked them lazily with a kunai of his own, without getting hit by a single one.

_Idiots,_ I thought. _It'll take a lot more than _that_ to beat him._

Another two balls went up in the air, and again they scattered. Itachi didn't bother to block them this time, but instead moved a safe distance away from them, and continued to fight us.

One ball flew towards him, and more weapons rained down.

_What are they thinking? _

Then, another six headed his way, and separated again.

He began to move out of the way, but these one was different. They were scattering in all directions (one nearly missed my head), and each and every one of the kunai/shuriken exploded. Went boom. Kaplooey.

Naruto's POV

The Shadow Clones that had been working with Sakura-chan had all disappeared with the last attack, and I understood.

"_I need your help," she said._

"_With what?" a clone asked._

_She looked determined. "I can't use chakra, but you guys can, so I need you to use it for me."_

"_Why?"_

_Sakura-chan pointed to the pile of packs on the ground in front of her. "See these?" she asked._

"_Yeah…." That was kind of obvious._

"_Well, each of those has the same amount of ninja equipment, since they're all copies from the same one," she went on. "And so, we're going to use the supplies in each pack. I'll need you guys to use your chakra to stick them all together, in the shape of a sphere. Six of them will be made up of only kunai and shuriken. We'll use those first. For the last six, we'll attach at least one exploding tag to every single one. There'll be extras, so use them to put another tag on something. Got it?"_

_All of the clones nodded and got to work._

_Sakura-chan smirked. "Let's go."_

I stared at the place that Itachi had been, where the dust was beginning to settle down.

Itachi was still standing, but he had a huge gash on his head and more on his legs, arms, and body.

Sakura-chan's plan had succeeded in wounding him.

I felt a surge of pride at her brains. Was this what it felt like to be a dad? No, it had to be something else. But I just couldn't put my finger on it….

Sakura's POV

Itachi was hurt, but he didn't look at all ready to give up. And what if that was a clone, like one of Naruto's, or an illusion? There was no way to tell. If it was a clone, though, I bet that he'd have gone *poof* or would be going *poof* soon.

Still, there wasn't any, so I guess it's safe to think he isn't a fake?  
Itachi didn't have any expression on his face, despite the fact he'd just been attacked with explosives.

His head turned slowly in my direction (I'll admit I was creeped out) and then…he smirked.

The creeped out-ness was replaced with irritation. Was he making _fun_ of me or something?!  
And then, I heard birds.

_Birds? In a _cave_? And it sounds like there's so many…._

A strong gust of wind made me turn to see Sasuke-kun, with his left hand surrounded by blue lightning, and Naruto, with a spiral of air in his palm.

I felt my face getting hot.

Somehow…they looked kind of…cool.

They both began running at Itachi from different directions: Sasuke-kun on the left and Naruto on the right.

And then, they'd reached him.

Itachi didn't move out of the way.

They both stopped, right before they hit him.

"Let us out," Sasuke-kun growled.

Itachi smirked. "Are you going to kill me, foolish little brother?" he asked.

"Let us out," he repeated.

"All of us," Naruto added.

"What if I follow you once you're out? What if I attack you? What will you do?" he asked.

"You already know the answer to that," Naruto answered.

"Hn," was Itachi's reply. "Alright. Leave."

Naruto motioned for me and the ANBU to go. The ANBU carefully made their way towards the exit, but I didn't budge.

What _would_ happen to us once we'd gotten outside? Would we be followed? Attacked? Itachi could easily get reinforcements, and one Akatsuki had been difficult enough.

"Go," Sasuke-kun ordered, without looking away from his older brother.

My eyebrows furrowed. I still didn't move.

"Sakura-chan," Naruto said, smiling gently at me. "We'll be alright. Go ahead with the others. Don't worry; we'll definitely catch up."

I hesitated, and then began to walk. It's amazing how much concentration it took to do that simple thing.

_Right, left, right, left,_ I ordered my feet.

I stopped right before the exit. "Hey, you two!" I yelled in a harsh voice. "I have a lot of questions for you, so you better not die. Got it?"

"Hn," I heard Sasuke-kun reply.

"Aye-aye, Captain!" Naruto shouted. I could hear a grin in his voice.

And so, I walked through.

A/N: Sorry I haven't been updating as much! . But I'll keep on going, so don't worry!^^ Anyways, please review~!^^


	37. Chapter 37

Fallen

Chapter 37: I'm Back.

Sasuke's POV

After some urging, we finally got Sakura to walk out of the cave.

Naruto sent me a 'what should we do now?' look.

I understood how he felt: we didn't know how Itachi would react when we left, or if he would let us leave at all. If we lingered, then more Akatsuki were bound to come.

Naruto's POV

That's when I got an idea. Why hadn't I thought of it sooner?

I released my Rasengan and made six shadow clones. Together, they made three Rasengan.  
Each of them were held an inch away from Itachi, making his clothes flap all over the place.

"Let's go," I said to Sasuke.

He nodded, but didn't release his Chidori until we were both safely out.

We began heading back.

Sasuke's POV

"I have to admit," Naruto said as we jumped from branch to branch. "I didn't expect Sakura-chan to say that."

He was smiling in a way that really pissed me off for some reason.

"Hn," was all I answered.

To tell the truth, I felt the same way. I'd expected her to leave without a word, but instead she'd said: "Hey you two! I have a lot of questions for you, so you better not die. Got it?"

Actually, it really reminded me of Tsunade. It just seemed like something she'd say to people who she might never see again.

"We'd better pick up the pace," I said, and I took my own advice.

Naruto followed suit. "Yeah," he agreed. "Sakura-chan must be worried."

Sakura's POV

It was quiet as the ANBU squads and I moved along together through the woods. Which I'd expected: somehow, casual conversation didn't really suit them. Especially in the middle of a mission.

And I was too busy thinking to bother with talking.

I hadn't worried about it before, back in the cave, because I had a lot more to deal with. But why did Sasuke-kun and Naruto know who I was? How long had they known? How had they found out? What did they know about me?

It was all so confusing. But there would be time f or that back in Konoha. Right now, the priority was to get back without any casualties.

About halfway back, Sasuke-kun and Naruto caught up with us (thank God!) in one piece.

By the time we'd reached Konoha, a whole day had passed (we'd decided not to take brakes in case my good old buddies caught up with us). I was completely exhausted, but didn't complain. It was better than sitting in a dark cell all day. Back then, they didn't even have the courtesy of giving me a damn harmonica!

We went up to Hokage tower immediately.

"You're back," Tsunade-sama observed. She was drinking sake (again) and her cheeks were flushed, but she was still steady.

"I'm back," I said.

Her eyes softened. "I'm sure you're all tired, but we have to talk."

I'd been expecting that.

"Saori Aero, Naruto Uzumaki, and Sasuke Uchiha," she looked at each of us in turn as she said our names. "Stay. You may leave. I'll call you back later," she said to the ANBU.

And they were gone.

"How did it go?" Tsunade-sama asked us.

Naruto and Sasuke-kun talked about their side of the rescue, giving every detail they seemed capable of remembering.

When they'd finished, she nodded.

"Alright. Thank you. You may go," she said.

We all made to leave, but she stopped me. "Saori," she said from behind her desk. "We still have to talk."

I nodded. The door closed behind Naruto and Sasuke-kun.

"Tell me your side of the story. Everything," she said.

I hesitated, wondering if I really should tell her everything. But suppose she had a right to know.

"I understand," I said. "But one thing, please?"

"Yes?"

I met her eyes for the first time since we'd arrived. "Don't think too badly of me."

Naruto's POV

"I wonder what they're talking about," I said.

"Dobe," Sasuke said.

I stuck my tongue out at him.

"Should we wait for her?" I asked.

"No," he replied. "She'll probably go strait home."

And with that, he left.

Sakura's POV

I hours past. And finally, I finished telling her everything that had happened.

She was silent. She rested her chin on her hands, which were clasped together, and appeared to be thinking.

I waited patiently.

"I see," she said after a while. "So that's what happened. It was strange..., how they'd died…but now it all makes sense. Thank you, Sakura, for telling me."

I choked a bit on the words before they came out. "Are…are you mad at me?"

She looked surprised. "No," she answered. She didn't look like she was lying.

It was my turn to be surprised now. "But…but I killed them! I killed them…even though they never even _did_ anything to me, it's my fault they're dead!"

Tears burned in my eyes. It was my fault that I didn't have a family. I knew it, and now she did too. But why was she so calm?

"Yeah, you did," she agreed. "But it's not your fault. Not really. It's not like you could control your powers. At least it won't happen again, since it was their awakening, right?"

That's when it hit me for the first time.

It would happen again. Inner me had said that after I died, I would reincarnate. And so didn't that mean my powers would awaken again? And every time they did, anyone and everyone around me would _die_. By _my_ hands.

I shook my head. "It will," I said. "It will happen again. When I reincarnate."

"I think you should go home and calm down, Sakura," she said with a touch of gentleness in her tough voice.

I nodded and left.

The next morning, I woke up and went straight to the normal meeting place after freshening up.

None of my chakra points were showing anymore, to my relief.

When I got there, both of the two people who I'd wanted to see the most were standing in front of me.

"Good morning!" I said, smiling.

"Hn," Sasuke-kun replied.

"Good morning, Sakura-chan!" Naruto returned my greeting. "Kakashi-sensei says that we don't have to do anything today, since we just got back from a tough mission and all."

My smile got wider. "Great! Let's go get some ramen for breakfast, then!" I hadn't eaten at my house because I'd wanted an excuse to be at a good place for conversation.

"Alright!" Naruto punched the air happily.

Sasuke-kun rolled his eyes, but came along anyways.

Over my ramen, I asked *cough-interrogated-cough* them about what they knew about me.

Sasuke-kun explained how he'd recognized me during the Chunin exams because of my necklace.

_I _knew _someone would see it!_ I thought, angry at myself.

According to Naruto, though, I acted a lot like I had when I was a kid so I reminded them of myself as Saori anyways.

They didn't seem to know too much about my 'special abilities', so I let it go and asked them if they wanted to play.

"_Play_?" Sasuke-kun repeated, as if not sure he'd heard right.

"Yeah," I said. "Let's play."

I gave him a winning smile, and he rolled his eyes.

Naruto was all for it, and so we all headed to the park.

"Alright!" I said excitedly. "Hide and seek!"

We decided to bend the rules of hide and seek to include ninja skills. In a way, it was a fun version of normal training, except we weren't aiming at targets or sparring. By spending time with Naruto and Sasuke-kun, I managed to let go of all of the bad feelings that had accumulated in the past few days.

The time flew by, and before we knew it, night rolled over day, and our stomachs growled under a crescent moon.

"I'm going home," I said. "Bye guys!"

It's true that things were different without Inner me making sharp comments in my head and with my memories (although for some reason, I couldn't remember the day that I'd killed that other angel, which was strange, because I remembered the rest from my life as a winged dude. I wonder why…), but I wasn't lonely. I still had Naruto, Sasuke-kun, Tsunade-sama, Kakashi-sensei, and everyone else here with me.

I had friends and a future ahead of me. Where that future was headed, who knew? And being reincarnated and killing people wasn't exactly something to look forward to…but maybe, just maybe, I'd be able to avoid it next time.

My time in Konoha (excluding the killing, capturing, lies, horrible memories, and losing Inner me) was the best part of my life. And the best I could do at the moment was keep on living it.

A/N: That's the end of that chapter!^^ Aren't you glad she's back home? XD Watch out for chapter 38.^^ See ya~! Please review!


	38. Chapter 38

Fallen

Chapter 38: Go With the Flow.

Sakura's POV

Three years later, a week after my sixteenth birthday, I was sitting alone in my house reliving the 'surprise' party that everyone had thrown me.

Except, it hadn't actually been that much of a surprise, since Naruto had blabbed two days before.

"_What're you guys up to, Naruto?" I'd asked him, referring to the secretive way he and the rest were acting._

"_Oh, I'm just getting ready for your surprise birthday party!" he told me, grinning. "But make sure you don't tell Sa-"_

_He stared._

"_AH!" he screamed, "SHIT! Ino's gonna _kill_ me! Sakura-chan, can you keep this quiet for me, please? Pretend you don't know anything about it, okay?"_

_I nodded._

I remembered the way Sasuke-kun had given me my gift, a necklace with the Uchiha crest on it, with an almost nonexistent tinge of pink in his cheeks.

"_Thank you, Sasuke-kun!" I'd said, ecstatic to have been given something with a different clan's crest on it. "Thank you so much! I'll wear it all the time!"_

_And so, I put it around my neck, to join my own Haruno crest necklace. And I've worn it ever since (except for in the shower)._

Naruto's gift had been a coupon that gave me free ramen for a month to Ichiraku's Ramen, a famous ramen shop nearby.

I knew how hard it must've been to give it away.

"_Thanks, Naruto," I'd said, smiling._

_He grinned, scratching his neck while his face went a bit pink too._

I'd used the coupon every other day, and I still had a week of free ramen left.

I also remembered Sasuke-kun's face when Ino forced him to eat some cake.

"_Come _on_, Sasuke-kun!" she'd pressed._

"_Hn."_

_And to everyone's amazement, Sasuke Uchiha, hater of all things sweet, ate a whole slice of birthday cake._

_His face had twisted up in disgust, and everyone laughed._

"_Don't laugh," he'd grumbled when he noticed me giggling with everyone._

"_But your face was so funny!" I'd said in between laughs._

_His face tinged pink again._

He was actually acting pretty cute, I thought.

Although, Naruto and Sasuke-kun both could hardly be described with the word 'cute' anymore.

Naruto had grown at over a foot since we were thirteen, and his face had become more mature, his body more toned. He had more girls falling for him than anyone would've believed possible three years ago, although he still hadn't started dating anyone. His personality hadn't changed in the least, though.

Sasuke-kun was still the heartthrob of Konoha, with his dark hair framing his face, and his onyx black eyes. He'd gotten taller too, and his body, slim but muscular, was the center of attention wherever he went. He'd softened up towards me, though not to anyone else.

They were both still my teammates, both still standing with alongside me on missions and in Ichiraku's. There was no one who'd ever be able to replace them.

Sasuke's POV

The dobe had dragged me along to Sakura's place, and it really pissed me off. Why did_ I_ have to go? Why couldn't he just go by himself?

We stopped in front of her house, and it looked a lot older than I'd remembered it from when I was a kid. But that's what happens, I guess. Things age.

Naruto rang the doorbell and we waited. But no one answered.

Sakura's POV

I was still lost thinking about things when I heard the doorbell ring. I peeked out of my bedroom window to see who it was, and I saw Naruto and Sasuke-kun standing in front of my house.

I wondered why they were here. This was the first time they'd visited ever since I'd come back to Konoha.

**Sakura, **a voice in my head said. And that voice wasn't my own thoughts.

I stopped as I put my hand on the doorknob. My heart beat went up. I_ knew_ that voice.

**Sakura, answer me DAMMIT! **

_Is that you?_

**Who else, you idiot!?**

Inner me was talking to me. But Inner me wasn't supposed to be talking to me. Inner me was supposed to be…

_You're alive?_

**Inner me: I'm alive as long as you are. And that's gonna be a long time, so**_** live **_**with it!**

_But…how?_

**Inner me: Hmph! Where's my welcome? Well, whatever. Have you noticed that any of your memories are missing?**

_Yeah,_ I answered. _The one where I killed that angel. _

**Inner me: As expected of me! Of course, I'm a complete **_**GENIUS**_**, so of **_**course**_** I'd notice! Anyways, I'm that one memory. Remember when I said I'd be fighting for you? I wasn't lying. When all of your memories were draining into you because of that damned Itachi bastard, I was able to save that one and keep it for me. Then, I went back to the other angels and have been showing it for them over and over ever since.**

_Wait,_ I thought. _You've been repeating that one memory over for _three_ whole years? Once wasn't enough?_

**Inner me: I know, right? They wanted to examine it, so they made go over it again and again until they were satisfied it wasn't a fraud and gave me permission to tell you we can go back.**

_We can go back?!_

Inner me sounded happy.

**Inner me: We **_**are**_** going back. Right now. Look at yourself.**

I did as I was told, looking down at my body and gasped. Little orbs of light were floating upwards like bubbles. And the little orbs seemed to be coming from _me_.

**Inner me: The process has already started. You've got eight minutes, tops. I suggest you grab a piece of paper and write your farewells.**

_But-_

**Inner me: I know, I know. You're worried about all of the guys down here. But don't worry; they can survive without you. Remember our friends back home? Flora and Sera and Mari? Remember them? And what about that guy Yuusuke? He had a thing for us.**

I remembered. They were the only ones who'd believed I was telling the truth when I'd explained about how it was self-defense when I killed that one angel.

_But still…what about my friends down here? What about Naruto and Sasuke-kun?_

**Inner me: You've got five minutes. Sakura, come on. Regrets will only make you suffer. Just hurry up and go with the flow.**

The orbs of light were getting bigger and more numerous, rising faster.

She was right; I was running out of time.

I grabbed a pen and paper and began scribbling down words as fast as I could.

Naruto's POV

After a while, Sasuke asked, "Are you sure she's in here?"

"Yeah," I said. "Kakashi-sensei said she was. I don't think he would've lied."

Then I felt a surge of panic as I realized something. "Sasuke! What if the Akatsuki got her again?!"

"Shit!"

I broke the door down (I could fix it for her later) and ran into her house, then up stairs, where I vaguely remembered her room was.

Sakura's POV

I finished writing and laid the piece of paper on my bed.

I'd have liked to have been able to go over it, but this wasn't exactly a situation where I could do that.

There were more and more bubbles of light, moving up at about twenty five miles an hour, and going from the size of an acorn to the size of my fist.

"Sakura!"

"Sakura-chan!"

I heard Sasuke-kun's and Naruto's voice coming from the hallway.

"Sasuke-kun? Naruto?"

"Over here," I heard Naruto say.

The door swung open.

Sasuke's POV

"Sakura…."

Shimmering spheres of yellow light were rising up from _her_, into the air, fast.

"What's going on?" Naruto asked.

"Sakura!"

I ran forward and grabbed her wrist. It was surprisingly small.

She looked surprised.

"Sakura, what's happening?"

"I'm…I'm going back," she said. She smiled sadly.

"Back where?"

"Back where I came from," she answered. "I only have about three minutes left."

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto ran forward and grabbed her other wrist. "Don't go!"

She laughed a bit harshly. "I can't really help it now."

The lights were becoming the size of her head, and they were rising up even faster now. There were so many I could barely see her.

I squeezed her wrist, to make sure she was still there.

_Sakura…!_

Sakura's POV

I couldn't see them any more. Sasuke-kun and Naruto's hands were both clasped around my wrist like one of those bear traps (I _hate_ those things!). Sasuke-kun's hand squeezed my wrist even tighter.

**Inner me: One minute.**

"I left a note," I told them quickly. "It's on my bed. Read it, please."

"Sakura!" Sasuke-kun's voice shouted. "Stop! Just stay here!"

"That's right, Sakura-chan," Naruto said. "Stay with us! Don't you like it here?"

I felt tears burn in my eyes. "I like it here," I told them. "But I don't _belong_ here."

"You do!"

I didn't expect Sasuke-kun to ever say something with that much emotion in his voice.

"You belong here! Everybody here likes you! I…I like you!"

My eyes grew wide.

I was surrounded by the light, shaping into one giant bubble.

And then, the feeling of their hands left my wrists.

They were gone.

I was gone.

Sasuke's POV

The light disappeared. Sakura's wrist wasn't in my hand anymore. I looked at the hand that should've been.

Naruto grabbed the note and read it, then quietly handed it to me, silent tears running freely down his face.

I began to read.

_Dear Everyone,_

_I'm going now, to a place far away. Even if you look for it, you won't be able to find it. _

_Thank you, everyone, for everything. Kakashi-sensei, Tsunade-sama, thank you for everything you've taught me. Naruto, Sasuke-kun, Ino, Hinata, Tenten, and the rest of you all, thanks for being there. Thank you. _

_Tsunade-sama, please explain everything to everyone. They have a right to know. Just one thing. Please, don't think too badly of me after you hear about it. _

_Every day with all of you was fun and exciting. It was nice having human friends. Deer are nice, but they don't talk much._

_I'm happy that I got to meet all of you._

_I'd like to say something cool, like 'forget about me and move on with your lives', but I can't. I don't want to be forgotten. So, remember me. _

_Naruto, if you eat ramen for every meal, your body's going to give up on you. Sasuke-kun, having some sugar in your system is healthy._

_I love you all. This is goodbye, forever._

_Love, Sakura._

I stared at it. Like hell I'd forget her.

"Come on," Naruto said, wiping his tears with his sleeve. "We need to tell the others."

"You go ahead," I said. "I'll catch up. Just let me stay here for a bit."

Naruto nodded and left with Sakura's letter.

The End.

A/N: No, this isn't the end, end, it's just The End. Never fear, Epilogue will be here! XD (that sounded so lame! XD) Anyways, that's the end of Chapter 38. Please review!


	39. Chapter 39

Fallen

Epilogue

Two years later

In the streets of Konoha, an eighteen year old man was walking by himself. Although he hadn't noticed, every single female, regardless of age or dating status, had their eyes on him.

"Uchiha-sama~!" a girl who was walking side-by-side with her boyfriend squealed.

But he didn't pay any attention. He was lost in thought, thinking about the mission he'd just been assigned by Tsunade, the Hokage of Konoha.

"Bring Itachi Uchiha into Konoha, dead or alive," she'd ordered Naruto Uzumaki, Kakashi Hatake, Sai (who'd recently rejoined the team), and he himself, Sasuke Uchiha.

"Don't lose yourselves," she went on, looking at him. "And don't do anything stupid," she turned her commanding glare onto Naruto. "If you understand, then you're dismissed."

He was honestly trying to keep his concentration fixed on the mission. But despite his efforts, his thoughts drifted far away, to the person who'd disappeared for the second time.

Sakura Haruno had vanished right in front of his eyes two years ago, after he'd confessed to her. He didn't really know how she took it, or if she even considered it a confession.

She'd left a note, too. And because of that note, Tsunade had told them about Sakura's past. About how Sakura wasn't _human_.

Sasuke just kept on walking in the street, not aware of where he was heading.

"Sasuke!" a voice called. The familiarity of it brought him back down to earth.

"Dobe," Sasuke acknowledged.

"Arrogant bastard…," Naruto mumbled. "Anyways, where are you going? We've got a big mission tomorrow, so you shouldn't be out this late."

"Practice what you preach, dobe," he replied.

Naruto opened his mouth and shut it, defeated. "Whatever," he said after a while. "Sasuke, want to go get some ramen? I was going to go with Hinata, but we can always have more people."

Sasuke noticed the girl hiding behind Naruto's back.

Naruto laughed.

"Hinata, you're too shy," he told her.

"I-I'm sorry, Naruto-kun," she stuttered.

"You don't need to apologize," he said, rubbing her head with his hand and making her long violet hair messy.

She turned crimson.

Sasuke turned away from the two lovebirds, and saw a flash of pink out of the corner of his eye.

Without thinking, he began to run.

"Oi, Sasuke!" Naruto called.

But he didn't listen.

He saw the flash of pink hair and grabbed onto a wrist.

"Sakura!" he called.

The girl turned.

"What the hell?!" she said, and was about to yank her hand out of his grasp when she stopped and reconsidered. "Did you want something? We could go get a drink-"

"Sorry," he said. "Wrong person."

Looking disappointed, the girl left.

He'd thought it was her, but no. It was just some girl who'd dyed her hair.

He sighed and looked up at the night sky. The stars weren't visible; there were too many lights on.

"Sakura…," he muttered to himself. Was she up there?

He was standing in front of a tall tree, reaching up high.

"Sasuke-kun?"

His head whipped up and he found a girl sitting on the branches. She had short pink hair, emerald eyes visible even in the dark, and a slender body. She looked around sixteen.

"Sakura?"

She smiled and jumped down onto the ground.

"Sasuke-kun!" she took a run and jump and knocked him to the ground.

"Ow! What the-"

He blushed as he noticed the position they were in.

"Sasuke-kun," she said. "How old are you?"

"Eighteen," he answered.

"What's your favorite food?"

"Onigiri and tomatoes."

"Is Naruto alright?"

"He's still alive and wrecking everything in his path."

"How many people does it take to change a light bulb?" she asked.

"One"

"What's the formula of-"

"Sakura, get to the point," he growled.

This was way too confusing for him.

"Sasuke-kun, do you know what I am?" she asked sadly.

"Yeah," Sasuke answered.

"Do you care?"

"No."

Her lips curled into a heart-warming smile.

"Sasuke-kun, is it alright if I reply to what you said to me before I left?"

"Knock yourself out."

Sakura threw herself at Sasuke in a bone-crushing hug. "I love you!"

He turned red and hugged her back.

"Yeah."

The End.

A/N: Sakura returned!^^ This is the end, end, no strings attached. Thank you all for reading! X3 I'm so happy with all of your positive reviews, and it's what kept me going up to this point! XD I _really_ hope you liked the story. If you didn't, I'm sorry. If you did, I'm really happy. I love you all! X3 Bye-bye!


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